


Enemies and Battlelines

by saturn_barz



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Canon Compliant, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Mildly Dubious Consent, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Semi-Slow Burn, Sexual Tension, Slight Dark Side Rey, Survivor Rey, it's complicated - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-07-04 00:39:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15830190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saturn_barz/pseuds/saturn_barz
Summary: “Did you really think,” Kylo spat, standing tall against the rough rock. “That you could channel a dark side nexus in order tokill me?I embody the dark side. I draw more power from it than you could ever understand.”Rey swallowed roughly, willing her chest to stop heaving from the exertion of the fight. She felt ill.“I don’t want to kill you, Ren,” she said with false conviction. Kylo stilled, his expression indecipherable as he regarded her. “I want tojoin you.”----Rey is running from some garbage notion of preconceived destiny, and Kylo's desire to have her by his side becomesawfullyconvenient.





	1. It Calls to Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know this fic has a similar concept to the amazing fics Within Monsters and Tactical Surrender (which you should definitely read if you haven't already) but i hope you stick with it anyway :) I've never written such a long fic before but what can I say this ship just inspires me.

 

**Post-Crait**

 

Despite the years upon years she’d spent bemoaning it, Rey sorely missed the heat of Jakku.

 

After the devastating blow the Resistance had taken while escaping the First Order fleet, and further more on the icy, red Crait, General Organa had found them solace on the planet Mimban. Rey had followed the General’s directions to the Circarpous Sector of the Expansion Region of the Galaxy, and by Maker’s good will she managed to land the Millenium Falcon on a flat patch of mud without detection.

 

Shortly following the solemnly small number of Resistance fighters getting some relatively fresh air, Poe was pulling Rey and Finn aside, urging them to join him in finding a suitable hiding spot. Rey and Finn quickly assented and the trio departed into the murk that seemed to cover the scope of the landscape. They were barely a thousand yards from the Falcon before Rey sensed they weren’t alone.

 

“Finn!” she called out, he was walking in front of them as he normally would. Ever the protector.

 

He turned around to answer her warning when a figure slithered up from the mud beside him, knocking Finn off his feet with a solid push. Rey instinctively reached for her lightsaber, grunting in frustration when her hand found nothing.

 

_Guess it’ll be the old-fashioned way then_ , she thought before launching herself at the red-skinned creature and tackling it to the ground. Poe was beside her in an instant, helping Finn to his feet, and although Rey had only met him mere hours ago she knew she could already consider Poe a trustworthy ally. The beast was screeching at the three of them, trying with all it’s might to escape Rey’s hold.

 

“What’s it saying?” Poe asked.

 

“I don’t know,” Rey answered honestly. “I don’t speak this language. I don’t even know what this thing is.”

 

The three of them paused, taking a moment to examine the creature. It had shape of a man, and was taller than all of them at full height, it’s red skin and bulging blue eyes didn’t help make it any less menacing, however. The being was wearing a red jumpsuit, overlain by a cape of dried out reeds. It seemed to be an attempt at armour.

 

“Is it a soldier?” Finn asked warily, still recovering from his unexpected upheaval.

 

“We need a translator,” Rey decided. “It may have ties to the First Order.”

 

Poe nodded. “Good thinking,” he said before flicking up his wrist to speak into his comms system. “General, we have a subdued hostile about a thousand yards north of the Falcon. We need a translator. Over.”

 

Within moments Leia’s hoarse voice crackled through Poe’s arm-piece. “We’re sending C-3PO and Chewie, keep me updated. Over.”

 

Finn assisted Rey with keeping the increasingly aggressive creature on the ground while they waited. As they sat still for a moment, the urgency of the mission seemed to fade, and Rey realised that it was pretty damn cold sitting in the brisk, wet wind. Fortunately for her, they soon saw a lustrous yellow speck amongst the bleak, muddy scenery. Rey struggled to hold back an absurd giggle when she heard the tell tale tone of 3PO’s whinging. This really wasn’t the ideal location for a bright gold and very _particular_ droid.

 

Rey noticed that Chewie looked beyond miserable when the pair arrived and furrowed her brow. “What is it?” she asked him bluntly.

 

_Later,_ he replied in Wookie. Rey nodded.

 

Poe helped C-3PO kneel down beside the virulent thing. “What is it?” he asked.

 

“It’s a member of the Mimbanese population, I believe,” C-3PO answered instantly, prompting the rest of them to scrutinize the being.

 

“A native,” Finn remarked quietly. “Do the Mimbanese have ties to the First Order?”

 

“None recorded,” C-3PO replied. “In fact, they were once allied with the Galactic Republic.”

 

Rey and Poe exchanged a look. “Tell it we are with the Resistance,” Poe said after a moment. It was a risky decision, given the chance that the planet’s population had changed their tune in the decades following the reign of the Empire. Rey knew, however, that they were running out of options.

 

C-3PO rambled in agreement as he usually did before directly addressing the Mimbanian and speaking its language. Rey found it hard to tell if the conversation was progressing in their favour as the creature’s movements all seemed to have an angry sharpness to them, although 3PO’s calm responses were a good sign.

 

After a few minutes, C-3PO straightened up and turned to them with a mechanical squeak. “Creell and his people will hide us,” was all he said.

 

Rey felt her shoulders drop in relief and quickly stood up, letting _Creell_ out of her hold. “Tell him I’m sorry for attacking him, and that I only did it because I thought he was going to hurt my friend,” she asked 3PO, offering the Mimbanian an almost comically exaggerated apologetic look.

 

Finn scoffed as C-3PO relayed her statement and Creell simply shrugged his shoulders.

 

“He said he would do the same.”

 

“Oh. Okay…” Rey uttered. “Shut up, Finn!”

 

The six of them proceeded to return to the Falcon more relaxed then when they left, giving Rey an opportunity to survey the environment with more attention. The area they were in was barren of any kind of fauna, it seemed, or any kind of life at all within the almost black sludge that covered everything her eye could see. She did recall, however, how Creell had suddenly slid up from the mud like a snake poised to attack, and had a sickening feeling that there was more to this murky swamp than they all realised.

 

Amongst the flat land, the Falcon was sticking out like a sore thumb, and Rey struggled to imagine _where_ exactly these Mimbanese could hide their single ship. Where would the Resistance hide when reinforcements arrived? If there were any left at all.

 

The remaining Resistance members were justifiably wary as Creell and C-3PO entered the Falcon to meet with Leia. _These poor people,_ Rey thought somberly, _they have next to nothing._ Rey could see Finn anxiously pacing in front of the falcon and felt a pang of guilt when she suddenly remembered the unconscious girl Finn had carried into the Falcon.

 

_What was her name again?_ Rey thought to herself, racking her brain. _R... Rue? Rin? Rose? Rose!_

 

Rey pressed her palm to her forehead shamefully. Finn wouldn’t be very fond of her if she forgot the girl’s name again, sensing his feelings of attachment with hardly any effort. Rose was in the crew quarters as far she knew, attached to a life support system. Rey hoped she survived, knowing Finn wouldn’t place his affections on anyone unworthy of it.  

 

While she and her troopers waited for some sort of decision, Rey watched Chewie cleaning mud off of his plethora of weapons, and took it as an opportunity to sidle up to him.

 

“You’ve been here before haven’t you?” Rey asked as she leaned on the metal crates his guns were placed on, voice hushed.

 

_Yes,_ he replied in Wookie, keeping his guttural roars equally quiet. _This is where I met Han._

 

_“Han?!”_ Rey exclaimed loudly, then quickly slapped a hand over her mouth as her fellow soldiers turned to the sudden noise. She dropped her voice to a whisper again. “Sorry…”

 

Chewie laughed before continuing. _I was captured by the Imperials of the Empire and imprisoned as a ‘beast’ while they controlled Mimban._

 

“Chewie, that’s awful. I’m sorry.”

 

_Han disobeyed his commanding officer and they threw him into my pit,_ Chewbecca explained, expression wistful. _I almost killed him but as you know, he was a pretty convincing guy._

 

Rey nodded, suddenly tearful. She hadn’t had a lot of time to mourn Han Solo. The loss cut deeper than she wanted to admit.

 

Chewie lifted a fur-covered paw to Rey’s back in sympathy and she relished in the contact.

 

_Anyway, we escaped together,_ he said finally, _and got ourselves into even more trouble._

 

Rey snorted, lifting her hand to wipe her wet nose. Upon seeing the filth that covered the tan, calloused skin there, she thought the shoulder of her tunic would do just fine instead.

 

General Organa appeared at the mouth of the Falcon and the Resistance was suddenly standing to attention, watching as she gracefully descended the ramp. Rey spotted Finn and Poe standing together in the small crowd and quietly crossed over to them. She was anxious to hear the fate of her fellow soldiers.

 

“Creell Cha and his people,” Leia began by gesturing to the Mimbanian standing slightly behind her, voice clear and loud. “Have graciously agreed to shelter the Resistance while we recover from our brave escape from the clutches of the First Order.”

 

As her comrades cheered, Rey felt her heart stutter with the overwhelming feeling that this was all leading to something _greater_ than her. _The First Order will_ never _be able to eradicate people like this,_ she thought with such a cloying sense of hope that she couldn’t breathe for a moment. _There will_ always _be people that will fight for the freedom of the Galaxy_.

 

The Force hummed steadily inside her.

 

“Mimban has a multitude of open hyperbaride mineral mines,” Leia continued. “Creell has informed me that there is a valley nearby with a mine that has long been abandoned. He says the open cut entrance is big enough to house the Falcon and a number of other small vessels if need be. I propose we take shelter there while we broadcast to other planets for assistance. Any objections?”

 

Rey looked at Poe and Finn first, noting the determination on their strong faces with unsurprising fondness. She then twisted around to study the rest of the crowd, turning back when satisfied that no one would object.

 

After a few moments of silence General Organa nodded. “Let’s move.”

 

It took less than an hour to move the Falcon and its inhabitants into the man-made cave. Rey let Poe pilot, using the Force to sense that he possessed that familiar itch of _needing_ to be in control of a flying object. She knew it was quite the stress-reliever. C-3PO directed Poe, relaying the screeching sounds of Creell’s language to him. Rey suspected 3PO added a few niceties, however.

 

The valley was approximately five miles from where they had landed, contained a surprising amount of green. There was a ten-yard wide freshwater river that ran along the base, and seemed to be transporting the grim mud elsewhere. After Poe had parked the Falcon inside the entrance to the mine, Rey was the first to approach the river. Eager to get the brown globs of dirt off of her arms, she plunged her hands into the rumbling water.  

 

_“Holy kriff!_ ”

 

Finn was by her side in an instant. “Rey, are you okay?!”

 

Rey turned to him quickly, a horrified expression marring her face. “It’s fucking freezing!”

 

“Goddammit, Rey,” Finn muttered, grabbing her by the shoulders forcefully. “Can you remember we are being hunted by people who want to kill us?!”

 

_“Get off!_ ”

 

General Organa’s smile was bemused as the odd pair returned to the cave, although if anyone asked her why she would vehemently deny it.

 

When Rey had blown on her fingers long enough to get sufficient blood circulation, she decided to have a wander around the mine system, suspecting that they might have to stay here for a little while yet. The walls of the thin, dug-out corridors were predominantly black and grey with the odd reflective speck. She wasn’t exactly sure what _hyperbaride_ deposits consisted of but had overheard C-3PO saying something to Leia containing the words _at depth_. Rey felt the stirrings of claustrophobia as she ventured deeper into the mine, noticing the dust-laden air swirling in front of her torchlight. Finding it harder and harder to breathe, Rey decided to turn back. It wasn’t comforting to know that if the First Order blocked the mouth of the mine, they could only retreat down into the ground.

 

When she returned to the cavern, Rey was glad to find to the others had made pretty fast work of constructing camp. There were portable camping pods dotted along the outer ring of the dirt floor, and a small fire in the centre. The large opening was becoming more of a hindrance as the nearest star had set, summoning glacial winds into the space. They would have to fix that if they were to lodge here for longer than a few nights.

 

Rey couldn’t spot Finn and Leia in the crowd gathered around the underwhelming fire so she headed to the Falcon, selfishly hoping she could sleep in one of the warm rooms. Running her fingertips along the permanently grubby plastic of the interior walls, Rey winded her way to the main hold, finding Leia and Finn seated on the circular couch.

 

“Rey,” Leia greeted, beckoning her to the space on the left of Finn. Rey obliged, seating herself comfortably next to her dear friend. “Thank you for showing up at the right time on Crait.”

 

Rey nodded humbly, embarrassed by the praise.

 

“Is it true you killed Snoke?” Finn asked unexpectedly, eagerly turning to her.

 

_Maker, word travels fast in wartime._

 

“No, that was…” Rey swallowed uncomfortably, throat thick with… something.

 

_That was Kylo._

 

Rey had avoided thinking about that particular Darksider until now. _Supreme Leader Ren,_ he was now known as. _He’d gotten exactly what he wanted, hadn’t he?_ Rey thought bitterly, disgust curling on her tongue. For one brief moment, she thought… well she wasn’t sure what she thought.

 

Rey had assumed that the bond that Snoke had fabricated between them would die with him, but that obviously wasn’t the case. Nonetheless, since she had metaphorically and quite literally slammed the door on him, there was no sign of the tall, raven-haired man that had been invading her mind for long enough. Rey hoped it would stay that way. She would loathe for their false _connection_ to be the destruction of the Resistance.  

 

Rey brought her attention back to the waiting gazes of Finn and Leia. “Kylo Ren killed him,” she said flatly, before looking intently at the General. “I also hoped that meant he was going to turn to the light, Leia.” Rey told his unfortunate mother. Leia had a mournful, knowing gleam in her eye. “But it wasn’t enough.”

 

“I fear nothing will turn him now,” Leia remarked before standing, “I need to talk to Poe now, but you two should really gets some rest. You are both of too much value to the Resistance to crack from lack of sleep.”

 

Rey and Finn nodded, both saying goodnight to Leia as she departed. Finn turned to Rey with a soft smile.

 

“I’m going to keep Rose company in the quarters,” he informed her, pulling her head in to give her a quick kiss on the forehead. “Get some sleep, Jedi.”

 

Rey threw a piece of scrap metal at Finn’s retreating form. “Don’t call me that!”

 

“Okay, _Jedi!_ ”

 

Rey rolled her eyes, glancing at the bunk that was tucked in behind the couch. It looked so inviting. Too tired to keep up any slither of personal hygiene, she climbed into the bed in her day clothes and nestled beneath the covers.

 

Rey was asleep as soon her head hit the pillow, feeling at home for once in her life. She dreamed of green swirling mists.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After a good month on Mimban, Rey was finally finding a use for completely _unfair_ temperature of the river. The pain of cold was enough to distract her from her ever-racing mind, and allowed her to practice Luke’s teachings in peace.

 

This morning, Rey has trekked a good eight-hundred yards from the camp and around the bend of the valley, not wanting anyone to see her losing the fight against kriffing _water_. Some all-powerful Force-user she was.

 

Following a very unpleasant ten minutes of swearing, Rey was up to her neck in the cesious water. Her head was steadily clearing as she focussed on the iciness touching her skin. She imagined glacial blue liquid crawling through her veins, gathering in her heart, tethering her to the river, tethering her to the cycle of life.

 

_Green._

 

Rey shook her head. There were those flashes.

 

_Arid landscape. Floating fog._

 

That planet. Rey saw it almost everyday. When she slept she dreamed she was flying over the sandy-green orb. When she meditated she felt the mist curling around her, she could hear the thunderclouds.

 

_What was this place?_

 

Rey was too afraid to find out. Something about the incessant visions of the ghostly planet gave her a feeling in the bottom of her gut that was so foreboding she wanted to curled up in fear. Why did she dream of it?

 

Rey’s brow furrowed as she felt a shift in today’s vision. It was clearer than ever, so clear she could almost see through the mists. She could almost smell the decay.

 

_Girl._

 

Rey cried out upon hearing the disembodied voice. It was an embarrassingly shrill sound, born entirely out of fear. She had never heard anyone speak to her in any of the apparitions.

 

Rey attempted to open her eyes, to bring herself out of the vision and back onto Mimban but found that she couldn’t. Her eyelids seemed to be glued shut.

 

_“What do you want?!_ ” Rey yelled imploringly, voice thick as tried to pry her eyelids apart with her fingers. She could still feel the water of the river lapping at her chin, and thought that maybe if she dragged herself onto dry land she could pull herself out of whatever this was. Maybe someone would hear her shouting.

 

_You need to come here._

 

Rey swallowed roughly. It was exactly as she feared. These visions weren’t some random memory or imaginary place. They were real. They were to do with the _Force._

 

“Why?” Rey asked, trying not to panic further as she cautiously started walking along the bottom of the river. If the riverbed felt like it was going upwards, she was sure she would make it to the bank and not drown with her eyes closed.

 

_It is your destiny. Your place in the universe._

 

Rey swore loudly. Hadn’t she already _fulfilled her destiny_ when she found Luke and helped kill Snoke? Hadn’t she done enough be learning the ways of the Force and joining the Resistance? Apparently not.

 

“Where is here?” Rey asked the open air, more resignedly this time. It seemed she was not going to escape this particular adventure.

 

_Vjun._

 

And like that her eyes flew open, the vision gone. Rey had luckily almost reached the bank in her blind state. Crossing the last bit of distance with desperate strides, she landed on the black sand with a little too much momentum, knocking the wind out of her lungs.

 

_“Fuck.”_

 

It was as all she could say as she laid there on her back, chest heaving. _At least the adrenaline warmed me up,_ she thought wryly.

 

Upon returning to camp Rey beelined for the only gleaming droid in sight. C-3PO just about jumped out of his metallic skin as he saw her approaching, expression murderous.

 

“Master Rey!” he greeted nervously. “Can I be of service?”

 

Rey stopped in front of him, a little too close for comfort. “Tell me about Vjun.”

 

C-3PO was silent for a moment, scanning his data system. “Vjun is a planet in the Outer Rim, I believe. It is almost lifeless as the climate consists of arid desert and acid rain. May I inquire why you ask about it?”

 

Rey screwed her mouth up like a petulant teen. “I need to go there,” she said bitterly, “for a holiday.”

 

“A holiday?!” 3PO exclaimed pointlessly as Rey stormed off towards Leia. “But that would be most unwise!”

 

Rey noticed Leia’s face show an uncharacteristic flash of fear as she barrelled towards her and took a well-needed moment to calm herself down. There was no use yelling at the General.

 

“What is it, Rey?” Leia asked concernedly, cutting her conversation with other Resistance members short and ushering Rey to a less crowded corner of the cave. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

 

Rey scoffed. “If only it was a ghost,” she snarked before closing her eyes and taking a deep, shaky breath. “I need to go somewhere, Leia. The Force needs me to go there.”

 

“Where?”

 

“A planet called Vjun,” Rey answered. She didn’t like the face Leia made in response.

 

“Nothing good can come of that planet,” the General said, voice laced with dread. “But I trust you to read the Force right. I hope you return soon.”

 

“Thank you, Leia,” Rey replied, feeling the uncomfortable itch in her sinuses that predicted oncoming tears. Maker… she was terrified.

 

She kissed the General goodbye and urgently headed for her favourite trio of troublemakers. Finn, Poe, and Rose were standing at the back of the cavern, looking into one of the mineshaft corridors suspiciously.

 

“What are you doing?!” Rey boomed after sneaking up on them, making them all jump. Finn let out a particularly piercing screech.

 

“You _asshole,”_ he chided as Rey laughed, hand covering his heart. “We were only trying to see how long it took for the light to go out if we threw it hard enough.”

 

“Fair enough,” Rey said, unfazed by their antics. She would have joined in if she wasn’t being accosted by some sort of spirit.  “Listen, guys, I have to go away for a bit. The Force is calling me.”

 

All three of them called out in protest, warming Rey’s tired heart.

 

“Where?” Rose asked, mouth turned down in a cute pout.

 

“I shouldn’t tell you,” Rey answered, feeling her secret was only safe with the General. “In case one of you tries to valiantly rescue me!”

 

“Yeah, right,” Poe said sarcastically, but Rey knew that underneath the jokes he would come to her aid in an instant.

 

“I’ll be back soon,” she told them, voice carrying false confidence. She had no idea how long this _destiny_ garbage would really take. Something told her this might be the last time she would see them like this.

 

After hugging them three of them with well-hidden melancholy, Rey headed for the Falcon, which was now surrounded by a bunch of small ships. After a month of distress calls a few stragglers had answered the Resistance’s summons, bringing transporters with them. Rey gathered a few clothes and medi-packs from the beloved ship and was once again overwhelmed by grief for all that she was leaving behind. Chewbacca was joining C-3PO at a meeting with the Mimbanese leaders, and Rey lamented not being able to say goodbye. She simply didn't have the time. After collecting herself, Rey discreetly approached a T-70 X-wing fighter and climbed aboard.

 

As she flew out of their makeshift home, Rey couldn’t stop a hot tear from sliding down her cheek.

 

_Please, let them live through this._

 

 

* * *

 

 

Seeing the chartreuse green mist with her own eyes after dreaming of it for so long was a little surreal for Rey. There were pointed rocky structures that poked through the fog sporadically, and she wondered what laid beneath the opaque blanket. As her X-wing approached the planet’s surface, Rey could see a large, man-made structure in the distance. She landed near it, letting the Force pull her to where she should be.  

 

The haze sat only ten yards above the surface of Vjun, but obscured nearly all light from the nearest star, prompting Rey to position the most high-powered torch she could find around her forehead. The ground consisted of sand as she suspected, remembering 3PO’s cheerful description of an _arid desert_. Fortunately, Rey was very familiar with the combination of those words and felt herself relax into the oppressive heat.

 

As she approached the Castle. No, _Fortress._ Rey could feel the Force growing stronger, thrumming through her easily with no need for concentration. It electrified her, made the hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention in a not completely unpleasant way. The power was growing within her.

 

Rey longed for her saber.

 

The Fortress loomed ahead of her as she walked towards it and Rey registered a sound in the distance. It was growing louder as she trekked. It was shrill. Piercing. Louder still…

 

With a nauseating swoop in her stomach, Rey realised it was screaming.

 

People were screaming around her, and logically Rey knew that no one was  actually there, that she couldn’t sense any lifeforms in the ten mile radius surrounding her. And yet, she couldn’t stop herself from quickening her pace. Although the Force was growing stronger and stronger inside her, she felt powerless and terrified. She felt like a child discovering something awful.

 

She knew something _awful_ had happened here.

 

The shrieks became deafening as she spotted the fortress’ stone double doors, flooding her senses. Rey covered her ears, and on pure instinct, _she ran._

 

The Force was occupying her at a level she had never experienced before, it felt like it was dry ice, spilling from her hands and feet steadily. It was with an almost laughable ease that Rey was able to throw open the fortress doors that must’ve weighed _tons_.

 

As soon as she slammed the doors behind her with the Force, the screaming stopped. Rey sank to her knees, breathing a shuddering sigh of relief. After a moment of rest, she stood up, forcing her legs to stay solid and supportive beneath her. Her torchlight couldn’t reach all of the corners of the room she was in and so Rey snapped her wrist, watching as every fire-lantern in the space lit up.

 

_Wow,_ Rey thought with wonder. _Channeling this amount of Force all the time would make me truly_ unstoppable.

 

The lanterns cast an ambient glow on the large, tiled hall she was in. It was relatively bare, likely a space for greeting guests. Rey knew whatever called her here was situated deeper in the building.

 

Using the Force to pull her in the right direction, Rey sauntered through the twists and turns of the elaborate structure, briefly regarding the many portraits on the walls. Most were of a long-faced, bald man that looked as thrilled to be having his portrait painted as most castle-owners did. Well, Rey _assumed._

 

“Count Dooku,” she said, reading one of the plaques aloud. “Never heard of you.”

 

Soon enough, she was being led down a set of spiral stairs that seemed to run deep into the ground. Once at the bottom of the steps, Rey walked into an artfully tiled cavern. In the centre there were four pillars. They weren’t supporting anything and all had tops that finished in a foursided point. The pillars surrounded a shallow pool, and Rey knew without a flicker of doubt, that this was what she came here for.

 

The water was surprisingly dark, leading Rey to believe that it wasn’t water at all. She approached glittering pool and slowly lowered her fingers in. The liquid was inexplicably warm and when she removed her hand it came out dry. It was the Force, Rey realised, _tangible force._

 

It was similar to the light-side pool that Luke had showed her on Ahch-To, and even more similar to the dark-side hole. Rey thought of the drab but powerful portraits of the old occupant of this fortress and guessed that this Force nexus channeled the dark-side instead of the light.

 

But why bring her here? Rey was firmly dedicated to the light-side, to the Jedi teachings, to the _goodness_ of the Galaxy.

 

_It is more complicated than the beings of your Galaxy tell you, girl._

 

Rey’s heart thumped wildly in her chest at the sudden noise, and with a violent jerk she felt herself being pulled into the pool. It was shallow enough that her back could touch the bottom but her nose and mouth could still allow her to breathe. She still struggled, however, suddenly reminded of her time on Starkiller Base, of the metal shackles clamped around her wrists and ankles.

 

“Stop trapping me!” Rey pleaded, panic clawing at her throat. “I will listen to you, just let me out!”

 

_Quiet, girl._ _You will not hear from me again after I tell you what you need to know._

 

Rey stilled at that, knowing the sooner she let this being explain itself, the sooner she could run as far away from this hellhole as possible..

 

_You will return to Vjun._

 

Rey’s stomach flipped. “I don’t want to return to this horrible place,” she whispered, voice weak. The being ignored her.

 

_You will decide the fate of the Galaxy._

 

She scrunched her eyes closed with anger but wisely kept her mouth shut. Rey was  repulsed by the idea of being in charge of any single person let alone the _kriffing Galaxy_. There a brief silence and Rey hoped the being had finished, she knew it was misguided however as the pool was still restraining her.

 

_Rey, you will be the one to destroy Kylo Ren._

 

And as quickly as Rey was pulled into the pool, she had broken free of it. Whatever the hell that thing was, it has finished with her. With a voice that thankfully sounded like her own telling her to _get out, get out now,_ Rey was running up the spiral stairs, terror thick in her veins.

 

Without the Force pulling her inwards, Rey had trouble navigating through the fortress. After failing to find the exit for a good few minutes she passed a heavy wooden door in the middle of a hallway and feeling something other than dark energy emanating from the walls, she opened it. The room was littered with objects more precious than Rey had ever seen.

 

_They would get her so many parts!_

 

She ignored them, however, focussing on the alcove in the back wall. Sitting on the pedestal inside it, was a lightsaber, and for a brief moment Rey felt calm.

 

She reached out for it, unable to care about the harsh slap as it flew into her outstretched hand. Rey almost activated the long abandoned object when an immense sense of panic slammed into her again and she was running. Luckily, she stumbled into the main foyer quickly and easily pushed the obscenely large stone doors open.

 

She felt an indescribable sense of relief leaving that forsaken fortress, up until the moment she was once again deafened by the gut-churning screams of the dead.

 

_Nothing good can come from that planet,_ she remembered Leia saying. Despite the gift of a new saber, Rey was very inclined to agree.

 

Rey continued running, fueled by pure adrenaline. She had dropped her head-torch somewhere in the castle but was managing to stay upright in the darkness. There was a light in the distance, growing brighter as the shrieks started to fade away. Rey thought it must be the light of her X-wing and found her second-wind, running towards it with new fervour.

 

“Halt!” she heard as her eyes adjusted to what was in front of her.

 

_Oh, kriff._

 

The light that Rey had bounded toward, thinking it was her ride home, was spilling out of an _Upsilon-_ class command shuttle. From what she could see, there were ten or so stormtroopers surrounding her, blasters aimed at her chest.

 

And if this expedition couldn’t get any worse, standing at the base of the durasteel ramp, was the imposing figure of _Kylo Ren._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10 points to you if you guessed who the lightsaber once belonged to ;)) 
> 
> Sorry there was hardly any Reylo interaction this chapter but don't fear it is most definitely coming. I should say i'm not super well-versed in the Star Wars universe and have been using Wookiepedia for a lot of my research, so if you notice any inconsistencies pls let me know. Also if anyone wants to lend a hand with Beta-ing or just giving me a second opinion for my planning pls hit me up! I would much appreciate it
> 
> Tell me your thoughts!! Hope you enjoyed :)))


	2. Dark Clouds Still Hover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: **Graphic Depictions of Violence**
> 
> P.S. For plot's sake Kylo didn't destroy his mask in TLJ

 

Rey regarded the circumstances in front of her; the armed men, the choking mists, and she wondered how her life turned into this.

 

She stood still, fingers spasming around the hilt of her saber. _Not yet, Rey._

 

“Have you come here to kill me?” she asked the man shrouded in black, standing across the clearing his troopers occupied. The question didn’t come out as confidently as she hoped, and Rey hoped it went unnoticed.

 

“That depends,” Ren replied coolly, voice garbled by the modulator in his mask. It was strange to see him hiding his face again. “Do you intend to come quietly?”

 

Rey ignored the question, knowing Kylo was well aware of what her answer would be. _When have I ever come quietly?_

 

“How did you find me?” she asked instead, wondering if he had been able to sense her whereabouts the entire time, if the Resistance was in _danger_ because of her. For a brief moment, she also wondered if he had been called here by the same strange entity as she had.

 

Taking a long step forward, Ren swept his gloved hand out, gesturing to the unforgiving landscape. “You have no idea what this place is, do you?” he asked derisively. “You were channeling the Force so much it seemed you were asking me to find you.”

 

Rey masked her sigh of relief with a scoff. The Resistance were safe for now, and it seemed he had no knowledge of her purpose on Vjun either.

 

“I most definitely _wasn’t.”_

 

Ren dropped his hand and stood still in his place, stoic. “Nonetheless, I have found you. It’s time to come with me.”

 

Rey shifted her foot back almost imperceptibly, edging into a more defensive position. She didn’t need the Force to tell her this was going to end in a fight, and yet, she still felt it prickling along her skin in a warning. She could sense he was gearing up as well, could sense the tension building beneath the heavy black swaths of fabric.

 

“I see you have a new saber,” Kylo observed, curiously not reaching for his own. “Who did you steal that from?”

 

Rey narrowed her eyes. “I _found_ it,” she replied, teeth gritted. The fortress that housed it was obviously long abandoned, and this planet was so uninviting that she doubted the original owner would ever return for the lightsaber. If they weren’t dead.

 

Rey felt confident enough to claim it as her own.

 

The stormtroopers held their positions dutifully while the Force-users conversed, waiting for the signal that was inevitably going to come from their Master. Rey could just barely make out the shape of her X-wing a short distance behind Ren’s command shuttle. She would make a run for it when the opportunity revealed itself.

 

“This doesn’t seem like a very fair fight,” Rey challenged, chin lifting as her finger hovered over the button on her saber’s hilt. The Force was humming in her ears at this point, the beginning of a sinister crescendo. The dark energy of Vjun curled around her wrists as Rey arranged her body into a combative stance. _Give me a reason, Ren._

 

The Supreme Leader tilted his head slightly in response, scrutinising her. The air was stiff as the thick tension reached its peak.  

 

“You’re more than capable, Jedi.”

 

There was silence for a beat before the harsh buzz of Rey activating her lightsaber pierced the air. The electric blue plasma blade was a welcome sight as she easily deflected the first few blaster bolts. Ducking and rolling behind one of the mishapen rock pillars, Rey noticed that Ren held his position in the centre of the clearing while his men advanced.

 

 _How considerate of him,_ Rey thought bitterly. She had no illusions that he would give up a chance to exchange blows with her so readily… he was up to something.

 

The squad of stormtroopers were steadily gaining ground on her hiding spot and Rey darted over to the next column, narrowly avoiding a blaster bolt to the side. At this rate, she needed to eliminate Kylo’s soldiers before she could attempt to reach her X-wing.

 

During one of the many quiet days spent on Mimban, Finn had sat down the nearest available Resistance members and described the intricacies of the stormtrooper armour, as the likelihood that they would encounter them on the battlefield again was unsurprisingly high. Rey remembered him explaining how the plastoid plates were adept at dispersing blaster bolt energy so it couldn’t penetrate their suits. That meant she couldn’t rely on deflecting any bolts back onto them with her saber, or steal one of their blasters. She would have to take them on one by one.

 

But how could she seperate them? The small clearing was far too open to try and draw them out, the rest would surround Rey in an instant. She was a powerful Force-user but she wasn’t suicidal enough to attempt blocking the onslaught of bolts that would follow. She had to run.

 

As she prepared to speed off in the direction of the fortress, Rey cast a final glance at Kylo as he stood still in the open space, observing the action.

 

_What was he doing?_

 

A blaster bolt whirred past Rey’s left ear and brought her back to reality as she ducked down on instinct, taking a second to recover before hurtling away from her hiding spot. The soldiers gave chase.

 

Rey loathed to return to the dreaded castle, hoping to kill her adversaries before she even came into the vicinity. She knew, however, that if she failed to extinguish the entire squad, the fortress would make for better protection than the nothingness of the barren landscape and stone pillars. She couldn’t venture too far from the light of the command shuttle either, as her human eyesight was decidedly inferior compared to the night vision equipment contained in the stormtroopers’ helmets.

 

Feeling as though she had gained enough distance on the lead trooper, Rey scaled the nearest rocky column, perching awkwardly a few yards above the ground. The adrenaline of the hunt reduced the sharp pain of the scratches that the rough minerals dug into her palms to a dull ache. Deactivating her saber, Rey waited.

 

She could barely see as the fastest soldier approached, seeming to be slowing down as he realised he couldn’t see her anymore. He lifted his arm to communicate with the rest of his team but Rey failed to distinguish what he said. No matter. The stormtrooper thankfully tread in her direction, gun raised as he searched for her. When he was close enough to strike, Rey leapt from her position on the post, activating her lightsaber and using it to lance the man’s chest plate in one fell swoop.

 

He sank to his knees, a glowing orange-rimmed hole where his heart should be.

 

Rey quickly disabled her saber but her location was already compromised, indicated by the number of oncoming red blaster bolts she barely dodged. _One down, nine to go,_ Rey thought grimly as she took off again.  

 

Rey ascended another nearby column and watched from afar as the remaining stormtroopers surrounded their fallen squad member. She needed to get them to spread out. Reaching out with the Force, Rey chose a random a stone pillar approximately fifty yards away. Sweat beaded along her hairline as she breathed in deep, drawing the Force in and letting it accumulate in her core. With much more difficulty than throwing those fortress doors open, Rey _pushed_ against the base of the post until she felt the founding rocks crack.   

 

The column shattered as it hit the ground, and Rey was pleased by the noise that rumbled loudly in her ears.

 

The stormtroopers were standing to attention instantly, the majority of them running off towards the sound, likely assuming she had brought it down with her weight. Two of them stayed with the body, however, and Rey thanked her lucky stars that her plan had worked.

 

Dark side energy welled in her centre as she raced towards them, not wanting to spare a moment. The soldier closest to her had no chance to react as she passed him, activating her lightsaber in time to cut cleanly through his unprotected neck. The thud of his helmeted head hitting the sand below didn’t quite register in Rey’s mind as she deflected a blaster bolt from the other trooper. Destroying the knees of her leggings in the process, she skidded to a stop just before him, quickly slicing the wrist that held the blaster. As the man cried out in pain and clutched his forearm, Rey stabbed the left side of his chest plate.

 

His dead weight was heavier than she anticipated and Rey quickly deactivated her saber to avoid cutting herself as he collapsed on top of her.

 

She could both hear and sense fast approaching footsteps as she pushed the body of the stormtrooper onto the ground, undoubtedly drawn by the tortured yell and the indisputable noise of a blaster firing. Rey groaned as she moved positions again, sick of running.

 

Choosing to stay low this time, she crouched behind another cylindrical stone structure, watching as the seven surviving men found their dead comrades. Rey could feel their anxiety building, and found that she liked being considered a real threat.

 

One of the stormtroopers made a complicated gesture with his hand and the soldiers responded by splitting into three groups of two. Rey sighed, thankful that she didn’t have to seperate them herself this time. The pairs departed in different directions while the trooper that had given the order knelt beside one of the bodies, seemingly looking at something on the comms system.

 

Rey chose not to focus on him and instead quietly walked parallel to the nearest duo. When she felt that they were far enough from the others, Rey waited until the two troopers walked in range of a stone column, and used the Force to bring it down on their heads.

 

Once the cloud of displaced sand has dispersed, she approached. The men laid unconscious on the ground but she could sense they were still alive. Rey only had a moment to think, knowing the other troopers would arrive in _seconds._

 

 _No,_ she thought as she let herself really feel the strain in her muscles. _They’re too much of a liability._

 

Quickly piercing both of their chest plates with her saber, Rey escaped the scene slower than she had previously. She was starting to lose steam. 

 

With half of the stormtroopers dead, Rey’s chances at confronting them head on and surviving were starting to look a little more optimistic. She wasn’t willing to risk it just yet, however, and slunk back into another dark hiding spot as she shut off her plasma blade.

 

As she waited for the next round of action, Rey noticed that the game of chase had taken her too close to the castle. She could hear the unwelcome howling niggling lowly at her ears. _Great._

 

The five remaining soldiers were surrounding the freshest bodies, conversing tersely with each other. Rey could sense the hope that they would survive this dwindling and was suddenly reminded of Finn, bred to fight in a war that wasn’t his. She pushed the thought aside quickly, though. These men weren’t showing signs of desertion, and Rey wasn’t ready to die today.

 

An advantage of being within the vicinity of the fortress was that the Force was steadily building inside of her again, and Rey had no qualms about reaching out with both hands and pinching her fingers together. The nearest two stormtroopers were stumbling around, clutching at their throats as Rey Force-choked them. It was something that seemed made up to her when she had heard of the legend of Darth Vader back on Jakku. As the men finally drew their last strangled breath and collapsed to the ground, however, she knew it was very _real._  

 

Now that there were only three stormtroopers left, Rey felt it was time to finally finish this drawn out battle. The soldiers were slightly spread out, crouching beside the two bodies, seemingly unaware of her nearby presence and she knew she wouldn’t get a better chance than this. Feeling revitalised by the powerful well of the Force on Vjun, Rey inhaled deeply before charging towards the soldiers.

 

The closest trooper looked up at the sound of fast approaching feet but it was simply too late to stop the graceful arc of Rey’s saber as it severed his head clean off his shoulders. The other two were faster, one of them drawing his blaster at record speed as they stood. Rey saw the flash of red but failed to duck fast enough in the close range. The flesh on the outside of her upper left arm sang with searing pain as the bolt made contact.

 

She groaned with gritted teeth and continued her assault, not willing to let the wound slow her down. The soldier on her right, the one that had fired the shot, aimed his blaster at her again but Rey was quick enough this time. She pushed the gun-wielding hand away from her with her left arm, and used her right to uppercut the blue saber into the base of his chin.

 

Rey deactivated her lightsaber as the man died above her, not wanting to waste the time pulling it out of him. It was a mistake. The second soldier used his heavier weight to barrel her into the ground, swifty pinning her with his legs. He squeezed her right wrist and Rey cried out as she felt the bones grind together, reflexively loosening her grip on the saber. It fell out of her hand as she struggled underneath the mass of flesh and plastoid.

 

_Shit._

 

The stormtrooper was quick to push the end of his blaster against her temple. Rey closed her eyes on instinct and for a moment, everything was still. Then, an unforeseen amount of the Force was welling in the fingertips that she’d pressed against his chest, exploding out of her with an unnatural boom.

 

When the ringing in her ears had died down, Rey cracked opened her eyes and saw the man lying at the base of a stone column ten yards away from her, struggling to rise. She reached out with the Force, adrenaline circulating with an unfair intensity. His neck snapped to the side with a sickening crack and Rey closed her eyes again.  

 

Covering her mouth with her right hand, a single sob burst painfully from her chest. Rey had survived… but at what cost.

 

The blood of ten men was on her hands.

 

She allowed herself to rest for a moment, beginning to gain her energy back as the Force swirled around her. Kylo Ren was probably still in that clearing, ready for her return, and Rey would need all the help she could get.

 

She collected her saber and stood up slowly, forcefully pushing the pain of the cauterized tear in her arm to the back of her mind. Choosing not to look at the number of bodies near her feet, Rey set off, letting the speck of light in the distance guide her.

 

When she reached the open space, Kylo was waiting for her. He was standing next to her T-70 X-wing fighter looking deceptively casual with a gloved hand resting on the hull. Rey could sense an odd kind of gratification underlying his cold demeanor.

 

“Just as I predicted,” he said cryptically, a mechanical edge to his voice. Rey had the strange feeling that she would see him smiling if he wasn’t wearing his mask.

 

She frowned. “What are you up to, Ren?” she asked pointedly, carefully approaching her ship. “Are you _testing_ me?”

 

“In short,” Kylo answered, “yes.”

 

Rey let out a noise of frustration, sick of never being in the loop. “Don’t you think that’s a little wasteful?”

 

Ren shrugged, predictably callous.

 

Not liking how close he was to her X-wing, Rey took another small step forward and waited for a moment in the eerie quiet of Vjun. “Well, what now?” she asked after a beat.

 

“I told you,” Kylo said disinterestedly. “You’re coming with me.”

 

Rey scoffed, welcoming the feeling of revulsion in her stomach. “You know I would rather _die.”_

 

Once again, Rey sensed that odd satisfaction emanating from the Supreme Leader.

 

“Fine,” Kylo said, shrugging again. “Then die.”

 

And in one smooth movement he had leapt onto the right wing of Rey’s fighter and activated his crossguard lightsaber, the brilliant red plasma blade shimmered as he plunged it down into the control panel.

 

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no-

 

 _“What are you doing?!”_ Rey screeched, paralysed by shock as he destroyed her ship.  

 

With a hot stab anger she realised that this had been his plan all along, that she had fallen into his trap. He had isolated her by making sure she killed all of his men, shutting off any potential communication with the rest of Galaxy, and now he had obliterated any chance that she would be able to fly out of here in her own transporter. No, the only way she was getting off of this dreaded planet was on his ship.

 

 _Wait_ … _his ship._

 

Without another thought, Rey darted towards the _Upsilon-_ class command shuttle, feeling triumphant until an invisible rope curled around her ankles. She threw her arms in front of her, narrowly avoiding breaking her nose on the durasteel ramp as she fell.

 

_Fuck._

 

Kylo was stalking toward her now, fury flowing from him in thick waves. “Do you really think I am stupid enough to-”

 

Rey didn’t stick around long enough to hear to rest, scrambling into a sprint as soon as she felt the Force loosen around her feet.  

 

Kylo had been blocking the way to the fortress, so Rey headed in the opposite direction. She knew it was aimless, that he would eventually catch up to her, or leave her here to starve, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop _trying_ to do something about it.

 

The head start that Rey had became useless as his longer strides quickly gained on her and she skidded to a stop, turning to block a blow from his saber with her own. The terrain she had reached was a little different from the column-filled battleground that she had used before. Rey took advantage of the light of her and Kylo’s joined sabers to briefly observe the jagged rock outcrops, and what looked to be a cave entrance, surrounding them.

 

“You never make things easy!” Ren shouted, his mask struggling to modulate the raised voice. He withdrew his saber, spinning to avoid the swing Rey made in response.

 

“You want to imprison me!” she retorted above the noise of their clashing plasma blades. “I will _never_ make it easy for you.”

 

Kylo let out an unbridled roar of anger, and for a brief second Rey wished he wasn’t wearing that dumb helmet. “I want to teach you the ways of the Force!” he yelled amidst the thrust and parry of the fight.

 

Rey ducked and rolled to avoid a particularly harsh strike from her opponent, landing awkwardly on her back. Kylo was unforgiving, bringing his saber down as Rey quickly turned over, feeling the heat of his blade near her ear where it hit the ground. Thunder rolled above them.

 

Taking advantage of her low centre of gravity, Rey kicked at Kylo’s ankles, gaining some distance as he stumbled. “I already know the ways of the Force,” she told him as determinedly as she could with such short breath. It was a lie. Her presence on this planet was evidence enough that she had just touched the tip of the iceberg with her current knowledge.

 

Ren didn’t bother to answer her, only stopping his advance to remove his heavy black cloak. Rey watched him, jealous she couldn’t rip off her skin. The air on Vjun seemed to be getting more humid by the second.

 

Thunder clapped above them again, this time preceded by a flash of purple sheet lightning. Something niggled at the back of Rey’s brain, telling her that she was missing an important detail.  

 

A shape in her periphery drew her out of her reverie and Rey turned, struggling to block Kylo’s sudden advance. She felt a glob of liquid hit her cheek as the blue and red sabers locked. Rain started to fall more heavily, causing her grip on the hilt of her plasma blade to slip. This was not ideal combat weather.

 

Kylo didn’t seem to mind, however, continuing to swing at Rey as she started to lose steam. There was an itch in the back of her throat and she purposefully coughed as she put some space between her and her foe. It didn’t work. Rey doubled over in the rain as the sensation worsened, drawing several short coughs from her chest. Her lungs were… burning.

 

Rey continued her hacking, stretching out a pitiful palm in an attempt to stop Ren from attacking her while she was on her knees. He stood still a few feet away from her and she waited for a blow that didn’t come. _What was happening?_ She felt like she couldn’t breathe, like the air was corrosive as it travelled down her esophagus. _What had changed? Why wasn’t Kylo feeling this too?_

 

The rain.

 

 _Arid desert and acid rain,_ C-3PO had told her before she left. Kriff, she was such an idiot!

 

“Kylo!” she called, voice desperate and hoarse as she coughed again. “The rain… it-, it’s acid!”

 

Her throat was screaming, red-raw on the inside as she curled into herself even more. She could see Ren’s approaching bootsteps and flinched as he neared her, only to feel two solid hands gripping the underside of her arms, wrenching her off the ground.

 

Rey was too weak to put up a fight as felt herself being dragged downward, over jagged rock, until she was dropped unceremoniously on a solid floor. The rain was no longer coming down on her.

 

She lay there helplessly hacking up her lungs until the itch finally started to subside. Opening her eyelids slowly, Rey saw that she was in a small cave, illuminated by Kylo’s glowing saber resting against the nearby wall. Her eyes found him eventually, crouching against the enclosing stone opposite her.

 

His helmet was off.

 

Rey averted her eyes quickly, uncomfortable with the sight of his bare face. _The last time she had seen him without a mask…_

 

“Thank you,” she told him quietly, hating herself for admitting that he saved her life.

 

Kylo nodded stiffly, regarding her with that familiar dispassionate expression.

 

In the quiet of the cave, with the sound of deadly rain pounding the stone above them, Rey considered her options.

 

It really was true that she was only going to leave Vjun on Ren’s ship. If she had any chance of escape before, it was destroyed by the beating her lungs had taken. She was going to be his prisoner.

 

_I want to teach you the ways of the Force._

 

Unless… Kylo still seemed desperate to have her as his student, to have her join him on the dark side. If Rey could convince him that she was willing, that she _wanted_ to learn, maybe he would let her exist with relative power. Although it filled Rey with revulsion to think that she would have to act as his eager student, she knew she would prefer it over being completely at his mercy.

 

And there was the matter of Vjun, where she was to fulfill her _destiny._ She doubted he would ever let her leave him to return to this barren pit of nothingness. Rey could at least _postpone_ whatever horrors waited for her in that castle.    

 

With a deep sense of woe, Rey realised it was her best option.

 

She cleared her throat, preparing to sell her soul to the devil himself. “You never asked me why I came here.”

 

Kylo looked up at her, eyes scanning her face with thinly-veiled confusion. “There’s a force wellspring here,” he said, making Rey’s life harder by trying to figure out the answer himself. “You wanted… power?”

 

 _Sure,_ Rey thought, nodding in answer to his question. _I guess that fits my narrative._

 

Ren stood suddenly, prompting Rey to do to same despite her short breath. Anger rolled off of him in waves.

 

“You would only do that to try and use it to kill me.”

 

Deftly hiding her sudden anxiety with a sharp inhale, Rey morphed her face into something more beguiling. _It’s now or never._

 

“Did you really think,” Kylo spat, standing tall against the rough rock. “That you could channel a dark side nexus in order to _kill me?_ I embody the dark side. I draw more power from it than you could ever understand.”

 

Rey swallowed roughly, willing her chest to stop heaving from the exertion of the fight. She felt _sick_.

 

“I don’t want to kill you, Ren,” she said with false conviction. Kylo’s expression was indecipherable as he regarded her. “I want to _join you.”_   

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know it was a little action heavy but don't you love Rey being the badass she is??
> 
> I'm going to try and post every sunday evening (monday morning for because i'm aussie lol) so stay tuned.
> 
> And yes, I used a bit of scientific license with the acid rain SO SUE ME 
> 
> Would love to hear your thoughts!


	3. But More Foreign Lands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed my pseuds! darcysxx > saturn_barz (which is an absolute kicker of a Gorillaz song)
> 
> Anyway let's get into it...

 

“You’re _lying.”_

 

Rey watched him, thinking the scar that bisected his brow and disappeared beneath his collar somehow looked more striking in the crimson glow of the cave.

 

She let her eyes flutter closed for a brief moment. Of course she was lying. She wanted to join the First Order in the same way that she _wanted_ to scavenge for parts all day in the blistering heat. Which was to say, not at all.

 

Kylo’s disbelief was completely expected despite Rey’s disappointment. He wouldn’t be the _Supreme Leader of the Galaxy_ if he was that gullible, she simply loathed to have to convince him otherwise.

 

“I’m not lying,” she told him forcibly, voice raspy after her fit of desperate coughing. Suddenly, Rey's heart pounded when she realised that her saber wasn’t in her hand, or on the floor around her. Ren was watching her closely, however, so she pushed down her panic. _Later._

 

“You told me,” he started, and Rey noticed the muscles at the back of his jaw jump. “That you would rather _die_ than come with me. Only moments ago.”

 

Rey inwardly cursed. _Her fucking mouth._

 

“It was a reflex,” she blurted as her mind raced, trying to land on a believable motive. “I was scared to admit it. _Embarrassed,_ really.”

 

Kylo bristled and Rey could see the forward pitch of his shoulders; the tremble of his lower lip. With startling familiarity, she sensed the storm brewing beneath his strained facade. She hoped she was on his good side when he inevitably lost control.

 

When he said nothing else, Rey took it as her cue to elaborate. A story began to form as she opened her mouth, letting the building blocks fall into place. “I’ve been with the Resistance since Crait. I thought I would be happy with them, but… as I practiced Luke’s teachings I grew more powerful, and I could tell they were afraid of me. Especially…” Rey closed her eyes for effect, letting salty moisture pool before she opened them again. “Especially Leia.”

 

As Rey predicted, Kylo stiffened at the mention of his mother. _Perfect._

 

“I felt like an outcast,” she continued with a sombre glance at the floor. “This morning when I woke up, something inside me had changed. I stole an X-wing and left, letting the Force guide me to this planet.”

 

Ren’s gaze was burning when she paused her explanation to look at him. She could sense how desperately he wanted to believe the pretty picture she spun, and something jolted deep in her gut. _Hook, line, and…_

 

“When I reached the Force nexus here,” Rey said, “it pulled me in. I felt the dark side of the Force wash over me. It showed me a vision,” she confessed, closing her eyes as if she was reliving it. “I saw myself by your side, Kylo, leading the First Order. I saw the two of us as an unstoppable team… an inescapable force. And it hurts me to admit it, but…”

 

Rey opened her eyes, crossing the short distance between them and placing her hands on his shoulders, letting her thumbs sit over his leather-clad collarbones. His eyes bore into hers, seemingly enraptured as his chest trembled beneath her hands.

 

_“I wanted it.”_

 

With no warning, and no hope to prepare herself, Rey was flying backwards. She hit the opposing wall with a dull thud and felt as the air was pushed out of her lungs. Instead of falling to the ground, she was suspended against the sharp surface of the cave, helpless as Kylo stood across from her. His gloved was outstretched, and the Force shot out of it like a thick restraining rope.

 

Rey struggled against the invisible bindings that held her in place, trying not to panic as her diaphragm seized up, failing to draw breath back into her chest. Somewhere deep in the back of her mind, through the haze of hysteria, she wondered where she had gone wrong.

 

“Kylo,” she implored, choking on the syllables. _“Please.”_

 

He was visibly shaking, eyes almost black as fury poured from every cell in his being. “If you are lying to me, _Jedi,”_ he hissed, voice threateningly low. “I will not hesitate to crush you here and now.”

 

“Look!” Rey said beseechingly. Her lungs were slowly drawing oxygen back in, steadying her. “Look into my mind, Ren, I’m not lying!”

 

Kylo didn’t need another invitation. Rey steeled herself as she felt his dark, twisted manipulation of the Force push at the edges of her consciousness. On Ahch-To, Luke had briefly taught her how to shield herself, how to morph thoughts and memories into something different in case she ever fell to the First Order. Rey suspected he was especially glad he did so after he discovered her and his nephew’s Force bond, knowing Ben would be able to invade her mind with ease.

 

As Kylo probed at her recent memories, Rey imagined a vault enclosing the real recollections she had of the past month spent with the Resistance, and the real experience she had at the force nexus on Vjun, before pushing it into the deepest corner she could find. Then, conjuring fake images and snippets of the story she described to Kylo, Rey visualised another vault. This one, however, she let him break through.

 

As she felt his presence withdraw from her mind, seemingly satisfied, Rey let the Force flood out of her, breaking his hold as if it was a dam. She slid to the floor, not wasting a moment as she promptly stood up, once again moving into Ren’s space.

 

Lifting her chin in a way that dared him to defy her, Rey caught him in a mutinous glare. _“I’m not lying.”_

 

Kylo regarded her for a moment, staring down at her with a similar intensity. Time stood still as an understanding passed between them.

 

“Let’s move,” Ren said abruptly, averting his eyes. Cool indifference settled over him once again.

 

As Kylo summoned his saber and mask, he strode out of the small cave, and Rey realised the rain was no longer falling above them. _How fucking convenient_ , she thought wryly, wishing that her earlier fight hadn’t been cut short. Maybe then she wouldn’t be following the _Supreme Leader_ out into the open air.

 

 _Kriff..._ she had really done it this time.

 

After spotting her lightsaber on the rocky ground, she reached out, gleefully pulling it into her outstretched palm. Kylo whirled around at the sudden movement, eyes loaded with accusation. Rey thought it unwise to roll her eyes. “If you want to train me, Ren, I will need a weapon.”

 

His expression grew sour as he turned back around, leading her back to his ship. The _Upsilon-_ class command shuttle stood out like a sore thumb in the desert landscape of Vjun, and because she wasn’t dashing to or from the foreboding transporter, Rey had a chance to really look at it. She hadn’t realised how _big_ it was. The jet-black vertical wings easily disappeared into the low-hanging clouds while the hull stretched twenty feet wide, and although her reasons for boarding it were not ideal, Rey couldn’t help feeling excited that she might get to pilot such a marvel of technology.

 

Kylo’s tall stature was highlighted as he had to duck while ascending the durasteel ramp, head close to colliding with the floor above. Rey on the other hand was dwarfed by the size of the ship, eyes filled with wonder as she raked them over the coal-coloured interior. Kylo led her to the control room, pointing to a seat that faced the broad transparisteel window. Rey sat down without complaint and placed her lightsaber on the nearest panel. Unfamiliar with the tech, she let Kylo close the ramp, and watched as he smoothly operated the controls.

 

They lifted off from the ground, picking up speed as Rey looked down at the chartreuse blanket of fog. She felt strange. Vjun grew smaller as they entered real space, and Rey promised herself she wouldn’t return, ignoring the curling in her gut that told her otherwise.

 

She was violently broken out of her reverie as she suddenly felt the shock of cold metal on her skin. Looking down, Rey saw Kylo’s gloved hands enclosing her wrists in the same restraints she had worn when they visited Snoke.

 

“What the fuck are you doing?!” she yelled, frantically kicking out at his shins as he backed away. She tried to pry the cuffs apart with the Force but they refused to budge. Had he _lied_ to her? Was he going to keep her as a prisoner after all? Rey continued to struggle, slamming the shackles down on the control panel with futile hopes that they would break.

 

“Please stop wrecking my ship,” Kylo said calmly, watching her grapple with her restraints as he sat back down.

 

“What, like you wrecked _mine?”_ Rey retorted sharply, continuing her assault on the board of toggles and buttons. She was fucking _livid._

 

“Stop,” he commanded. When Rey ignored him, Kylo reached out with the Force, pushing her hands back onto her lap. She finally stilled, red-hot anger spoiling her features as she glared at him. “It’s just a precaution.”

 

Rey spluttered indignantly, forgetting for a moment that _she_ was the liar in this situation. “A precaution against what?” she asked pointedly, mouth twisting into something ugly.

 

Kylo sighed harshly, quickly turning his head to his shoulder and looking down the slope of his nose. Rey recognised the movement. “You are my equal, Jedi,” he said, sounding strained. He swivelled his neck to face her again, eyes glinting in the artificial light. “I cannot afford to underestimate you again.”

 

Rey simply stared, unable to reply. _His equal._ It unnerved her to remember that Snoke had said the same thing.

 

The silence lasted as they approached the _Finalizer,_ and she noticed as a stinging pain began to bloom in her left arm. Rey looked down, raising her arm as best she could to inspect the cauterised bolt wound. It was about an inch wide and two inches long, luckily not deep enough to cut anything important. The lack of stimulation in the hull helped the pain take its place in the forefront of her mind, and Rey clenched her jaw in response, leaning back against the headrest of her chair.

 

“You’re hurt,” Kylo stated, drawing Rey’s attention. His expression was blank as he visually inspected the laceration from afar.

 

Rey frowned, the throb in her arm adding to her displeasure. “Yeah, that’s what happens when you stick ten men on me,” she snarked. When Kylo didn’t bite back Rey deflated slightly, shrugging with one shoulder. “It’s nothing.”

 

“I’ll see that it gets patched up when we reach the _Finalizer.”_

 

Rey shrugged again with the same shoulder, turning her gaze to transparisteel window and watching as they neared the hangar of the First Order’s flagship. “Fine by me.” 

 

 

* * *

 

 

The journey to the deep interior of the _Finalizer_ was not a dignifying one for Rey.

 

The sight of their Supreme Leader exiting his command shuttle with none other than the renowned, _handcuffed_ Jedi girl in tow was something to behold for all of the First Order personnel occupying the hangar. Despite their unparalleled training, Rey could sense the gawking and burning curiosity that sat behind those plastoid helmets.

 

It was just so fucking _annoying._

 

 _Precaution, my ass,_ Rey thought as she glared daggers into the back of Kylo Ren’s helmet. _You just wanted it to look like you bested me._

 

A small number of stormtroopers quickly fell into formation around the pair as Ren lead them in the direction of the lifts. Rey ignored them, taking a moment to look around the spacious hangar. It saddened her. She thought of the Resistance ships that she could count on one hand, compared to the innumerable quantity of ships, weapons, and soldiers contained in this single area. _Why are we the ones to have so little?_

 

Kylo drew her attention back to the present by guiding her into one of the lifts with a gloved hand. His troopers made to enter the tiny box as well but he stilled them with a single motion, and the pair were quickly ascending the floors of the colossal ship.

 

As they stood in silence, Kylo took his mask off, and Rey was painfully aware of how similar this was to their last elevator ride together. This time, however, she had no illusions that she would be able to turn Kylo to the light. It was far too late for that.

 

_Join me… please._

 

Rey pushed down the memory, and the profound sense of disappointment that accompanied it. She remembered hearing Kylo’s grandfather’s saber - _her_ saber - ignite. She remembered the sudden sinking in her stomach as she hit the ground, rolling over to see what he had done to that ugly, mangled monster. She remembered turning back around, looking up and seeing nothing but _Ben Solo._

 

Still, he hadn’t turned. Rey knew it was futile to hope that he ever would.

 

True to his word, Kylo took her directly to the medical bay, keeping her shackled as he ordered the nearest droids to patch her wound. As he sat and watched from afar, a medical droid approached him, fussing over the scar on his face. Rey fought back a wry laugh as Kylo slapped the probing arm away with a huff, feeling an odd sense of pride that _she_ was the one to give him such an unsightly battlescar.  

 

After a bacta-patch had been skillfully applied to her arm, Kylo brought her to a stand and began the journey to their next destination. When they had left the _Upsilon-_ class, he had picked Rey’s lightsaber up off the dashboard, wisely not trusting her to hold on to it without misbehaving. She could see it now as it hung from the black leather belt that circled his waist, and she desperately itched to call it into her palm. She resisted, though, knowing she had to play nice for now.

 

Rey didn’t even try to memorise their path as Kylo drew her through the labyrinthine corridors of the Finalizer. Eventually he stopped, pulling her through an open doorway with a harsh tug.

 

“Watch it!” Rey chastised as the door slid shut behind them. She looked at their surroundings while Kylo drew her further inwards. It was a medium sized room, completely barren aside from a shiny white table and chair set in the middle. The walls were unsurprisingly pitch-black, and at a closer look Rey could see a large section of the farthest wall was made of a slightly different material. Modified transparisteel?

 

A groan caught in Rey’s throat… it was an interrogation room.

 

“Really, Ren?” she asked sardonically as he steered her into one of the chairs. Kylo pulled her hands onto the table and connected the shackles to a little metal toggle that jutted out of the gleaming durasteel, activating some sort of locking mechanism. Rey jerked against the restrains with all her strength but they didn’t budge. _“Really, Ren?”_

 

“Stay here,” was all he said, the low timbre of his voice slightly reverberating off the glossy black walls. He strode to the door, opening it with the Force and sweeping out with his usual flourish.

 

“It’s not like I’m going anywhere,” Rey retorted to the empty room. She was growing more apprehensive by the second, and wondered if surrendering to the Supreme Leader had really been the right move. _Not that there had been many moves to start with_ , she thought to herself. All she had to do was stay calm and play their game. Kylo wouldn’t have brought her on to this ship to have her imprisoned or killed if he believed her; she _knew_ how much he wanted her by his side.

 

That begged the question, though… did he really believe her? Or was this just an elaborate ruse to prove she was lying?

 

The door opened with a hiss, startling Rey out of her anxious thoughts and she turned to the entryway as a tall ginger man marched in, taking the seat opposite her. Kylo followed, instead choosing to lean against the wall behind the mystery man but Rey paid him no mind.

 

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” the man opposite her sneered. His face was twisted into an ugly grimace, and what may have once been good looks were hindered by his deathly pallor. “I’m General Hux.”

 

 _Ah,_ she thought, not bothering to reply. _This was the insufferable Artimage Hux she’d heard so much about._

 

“I’m here to conduct your interrogation on behalf of the First Order,” he continued as though he never expected her to answer him anyway. _On behalf of the First Order?_ Kylo Ren _was_ the First Order. Why was he making her do this? “Shall we begin?”

 

Rey cast a glance at Kylo as he stood in the background, hoping to find some answers in his expression. He stared back readily, features disappointingly blank, and she turned her head to face Hux.

 

“Go ahead.”

 

The General nodded, unlocking a data pad that she had failed to notice earlier. “Your name is Rey, correct?”

 

Rey rolled her eyes before shooting him a withering glare. When it became clear he wouldn’t continue without her confirmation she let out a beleaguered sigh. _“Yes.”_

 

“Last name?”

 

“I don’t have one.”

 

“How can you not have a last name?”

 

Rey clenched her jaw, fighting the urge to Force-slam this _idiot’s_ head onto the desk between them. “I was abandoned by my family on Jakku when I was a child. I have no idea who my family is - _was._ Shouldn’t that be in your fancy data pad?”

 

Hux smiled at her then, the unsettling shape of it twisting something deep in her gut. “It is, _Jedi…_ but I just wanted to hear you say it.”

 

Rey’s reaction was instantaneous, anger rising up like acidic bile as she pushed the Force to constrict around his pale neck. It didn’t last long. Kylo broke her hold with ease, standing back as Hux spluttered. “General,” he said calmly, voice low in a thinly-veiled warning. “You are to conduct an interrogation. _Nothing else.”_

 

Hux’s expression was incensed as he slowly nodded, and Rey choked down the horror that was slowly debilitating her. For a while, in the presence of a comparatively benign Kylo Ren, she had forgotten where she was. The First Order were nothing but cruel, oppressive murderers, and anyone that joined their cause were reflections of that.

 

Rey wouldn’t let her guard down again.    

 

“Let’s continue,” Hux said, scowling. “Have you come into contact with any Force-users besides Luke Skywalker?”

 

Her brows furrowed slightly. _Did they not know about Leia?_ Rey chanced a glance at Kylo, trying and failing to decipher his impassive expression. He must have known that his mother was Force-sensitive. If he had somehow failed to notice when he was a child, how did he figure she survived the explosion that blasted her into space? Rey straightened her back with false confidence. Whether Ren knew or not, she wasn’t about to give the First Order any more of a reason to persecute the General.

 

“No.”   

 

Hux eyed her for a moment before turning around to face his leader, waiting until Kylo gave him an almost imperceptible nod.

 

 _Huh._ So Ren was assuming the role of lie detector?

 

And if he nodded, well… he either believed her lie or was protecting his mother. Rey wasn’t sure which was more unlikely.

 

“Are you prepared to denounce the Resistance?” Hux asked after a beat, voice laden with malice. “To pledge your loyalty to the First Order and apologise for your war crimes?”

 

 _“My_ crimes?!” Rey asked furiously, forcibly tugging against her restraints despite the fruitlessness. “You have hunted us almost to extinction! Will you ever apologise for the destruction of our fleet? Or the destruction of an _entire system?”_

 

Hux’s anger matched hers as he stood suddenly, looming over her with malign intent. “The duplicitous Republic needed to _die_ for there to be order in the Galaxy!” he spat before his voice turned into something more commanding. “You _will_ apologise for the destruction of Starkiller base, Jedi… and for the murder of Supreme Leader Snoke.”

 

Rey stilled, cold shock paralyzing her where she sat. Her eyes flitted to Kylo, watching as he stiffened, gaze red-hot on her face. _He told Hux that_ she _killed Snoke?_ That would certainly explain why the General seemed to have such particularly low regard for her. Rey tried to fathom why Kylo would do such a thing; surely he would readily admit to defeating a being so powerful, so completely _undefeatable._ Unless… the First Order may not be as barbaric as she had always thought. Perhaps the unlawful usurping of power Kylo demonstrated wasn’t considered to be justified, perhaps it was considered treason.

 

She continued to study Ren’s features, searching for hint in his ardent stare. _What do I do?_ Rey asked herself, wishing she could say it aloud. Looking behind the concoction of emotions that were dancing across his face, and steadily brewing beneath his skin, she saw a silent plea. If she exposed the truth now, General Hux wouldn’t hesitate to overthrow his Leader, and for the sake of the Resistance... for the sake of Rey herself, that simply couldn’t happen.  

 

“Fine,” she acquiesced with gritted teeth, meeting the eyes of the vile man above her. “I _apologise.”_

 

Hux sat back down, somewhat satisfied, and Rey felt the tension bleed out of Kylo in a single release. She focussed her attention on the General, suddenly finding herself unable to look at the man behind him.

 

“We will discuss the details of your public apology and denouncement another time,” Hux told her. Rey blanched, ice-cold fear slicing through her gut. If the Resistance saw… no. She would would have to find a way out of it. Presently, something told her to stay quiet as Hux leaned forward. “Now… the final test,” he continued, a sinister sort of glee barely contained in his voice. “Give us the location of the Resistance.”

 

“No.”

 

“How can you possibly expect us to-”

 

“I said _no.”_

 

 _“Supreme Leader,”_ Hux implored, turning to Ren with palpable vexation. “Tell her we will not receive her into the First Order without this assurance of loyalty.”

 

Kylo opened his mouth to speak but Rey beat him to it, voice laden with unwavering confidence. “If that is what you want from me you may as well kill me now,” she said, shoulders back. “I will do anything else you require, General, but I will _never_ tell you where they are. That is my one condition.”  

 

Hux gaped, head swivelling between her and his superior. Kylo paid him no mind, focussing his intent gaze on Rey instead. She returned the intensity of his stare with a silent warning. _I scratched your back… now it’s your turn._

 

“Let her have this meaningless victory,” Kylo proclaimed, saving face with an overly-cruel sneer. “We will find the Resistance in due time.”   

 

Hux clearly disagreed with Ren, poorly hiding his sour expression, but knew it was pointless to object. Rey lifted her chin, a mask of gratification deftly hiding the frightening knowledge that that may have gone a very _different_ way.

 

She had prevailed... this time.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The rest of the interrogation went smoothly. Which was to say, Rey and Hux successfully resisted the urge to strangle each other. He asked her pointless questions about her time with the Resistance and Luke Skywalker, hoping to gain any kind of clue about the former’s whereabouts. Rey saw through it easily, and purposefully kept her answers as vague as possible.

 

The General eventually announced they were finished, face shaped by the ever-present grimace, and Rey honestly felt like she could have wept with joy. As soon as Hux swept out of the room Kylo was there, releasing her handcuffs from their position on the table. Rey chose not to speak to him as he led her through the maze of the _Finalizer._ She still wasn’t happy about lying for him, despite the peace of mind it brought her in return.

 

After what felt like miles of walking through the walls of glossy black plastoid, Kylo came to a stop in front of a nondescript door. Rey almost trudged into him, unbelievably exhausted from the day’s proceedings. He reached out, grabbing onto her shackles with one gloved hand and entering a code into his arm-piece on the other. Rey was overcome by relief as the restraints loosened around her wrists and came away into his grasp.

 

Kylo punched a sequence into the door’s locking system as Rey attempted to get some blood circulation back into her fingers. The black door slid open with the usual hiss and she rotated her neck to peek into the room’s contents.

 

“This is your personal quarters,” Kylo told her, drawing her focus back to him. “For now.”

 

“Okay,” was all Rey could be bothered to say, stepping over the threshold. The room was fairly small, dominated by a double bed that sat against the furthest wall. There was a small desk and chest of drawers on the left side, and what appeared to be a door to the ‘fresher on the right. Rey’s attention was caught by a transparisteel panel above the bed, spanning the entire wall. The content’s of their Galaxy glittered in the dark expanse.

 

She had never had a view like this.

 

Kylo cleared his throat and Rey turned in response, watching as he hovered in the doorway. “This room is under constant surveillance,” he told her. “So don’t get any ideas.”

 

Rey shrugged, feigning nonchalance. It was a total pain in reality. It would be borderline impossible to make any contact with the Resistance under the First Order’s watchful eye.

 

“Get some rest,” Kylo said stiffly, eyes averted. “Training begins tomorrow morning.”

 

Rey inwardly cursed. _Right...training._ What fun.

 

“Okay,” she said dismissively, already halfway to the ‘fresher. Once she had peeled the soiled clothes off of her and showered, she returned to the main room. Kylo was unsurprisingly gone, and the door was shut.

 

Rey found a pair of loose leggings and a plain black t-shirt in the drawer, tugging them on before walking over to the inviting bed. She settled under the covers and closed her eyes, unable to stop the thoughts of her friends back on Mimban as salty moisture pooled uncomfortably.

 

 _I’ll be with you again,_ Rey thought, projecting the notion outwards as though the Resistance would somehow feel it. She wished she could believe it were true.

  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew Rey/Kylo dialogue is just so fun to write! 
> 
> Hope you guys liked the chapter, would love to hear your thoughts :))
> 
> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://harley-quinns.tumblr.com/)!


	4. To Prepare One's Self

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a bit late! Couple of things:
> 
> I changed the rating to Explicit because I think it's more accurate for what's to come
> 
> And if anyone suffers from sleep paralysis like myself you might find the first few paragraphs a little distressing!

 

 

The yellow fog, the rocky pinnacles, she was flying… thunderclouds clapped as she descended through them. Down, down, she would hit the ground! No, she was going forward again, sand parting beneath her.

 

Rey came back to herself slightly, the thrill of the fall teasing her consciousness into awakening. She was dreaming of Vjun...again. _Fuck._ When would she be free of this hellscape?

 

Her body was still gliding along the scorching desert floor, her slight stirrings failing to fully liberate her from the hold of sleep. She could hear the screams building again as she hurtled further.

 

_Well, that was new._

 

Now that she had the context of the strange landscape she had been haunted by for so long she supposed it made sense for the ungodly shrieks to now be incorporated into her visions. She wished it weren’t the case, of course, it was probably the most disturbing aspect of her visit, and that was really saying something.  

 

The solid black silhouette of the base of the castle materialised in the distance as she flew. _That was new, too._

 

She definitely hadn’t seen the imposing fortress in her dreams before either, and the memories of that pool, that _being,_ sent icy fear down her spine. _Wake up now, Rey_ , she thought to herself, finding her muscles locked in place as her mind’s eye kept her racing towards the stony double doors.

 

 _Wake up now, Rey!_ She was paralysed as she prepared to collide with the solid rock. No… they flew open. The air rushed around her as she flew into the interior of the castle, weaving throughout the maze. She arrived at the spiral staircase.

 

 _No, no, no…_ dread curled in her gut. _I don’t want to go back here._

 

Her body stayed frozen, refusing to listen to her brain’s commands. Down, down, down the stairs… _Why can’t I move?!_

 

The pool. The dark, effervescent liquid grew larger in her view as she sped towards it. _Stop. Stop!_

 

Rey didn’t slow down, expecting some sort of pain as she was plunged into the glittering bath. None came. Her vision was filled with nothing but a black empty expanse, the occasional flash of light in the distance. She had never felt more alone.

 

_Return._

 

Terror sliced through Rey at the sudden voice. It didn’t belong to the entity that had told her her destiny when she had seen the Force nexus the first time, but that didn’t seem to matter… it was no less commanding.

 

_You will return._

 

A strangled scream clawed its way out of Rey’s throat, sounding through the desolate void endlessly.

 

Suddenly, a shrill beeping tore her from the horrifying trap. As if the noise had an override button connected to Rey’s nervous system, she was suddenly free of the hold her muscles had kept her in. Her eyes flew open, darting to inspect the black walls of her quarters, limbs tangling in her sheets as she panicked.

 

 _It’s real,_ she told herself. She was awake in her bed, moving. It was okay…

 

The beeping continued as Rey sat with a hand over her chest, willing her heart to stop beating so furiously. As soon as she realised the repeating tone was increasing in volume, piercing through the haze occupying her mind, she reached over and collected the datapad it seemed to be coming from. She clicked on the message and thanked Maker when the dinging stopped. It was from Kylo, of course.

 

 _Get ready. I am on my way to bring you to training,_ it read.

 

“Shit,” Rey hissed, scrambling out of bed and clambering over to the ‘fresher. She was disgustingly sweaty from her nightmare, but thought it fruitless to shower before _and_ after a training session. She also shuddered at the thought of Kylo catching her naked or changing. It would just have to wait.

 

After splashing some _invigoratingly_ cold water over her face she returned to the dresser that stood solidly in the corner of her room. Opening all of the drawers in quick succession, Rey saw nothing but black. _Well,_ Rey thought, _they’re certainly committed to their aesthetic._

 

She pulled out a simple black tunic, considering it for a moment before tugging off her sleep shirt and jerking it on. Rey walked back to the ‘fresher, giving herself a look in the mirror. The stark black contrasted harshly against her normally tawny skin, making her look washed out. She didn’t entirely hate the effect, thinking that it somehow presented her as more... powerful.

 

She shook her head disappointedly at herself, lifting the hem off of her body. She wouldn’t play into Kylo’s little games.

 

Her white and grey outfit was lying in a heap on the floor where she had carelessly thrown it the previous night. She gave the clothes a quick sniff before changing, they were impregnated with sweat from her efforts on Vjun, but she didn’t really care. The familiar arm-bands, leggings, and tunic centered her. She was still Rey, even if she was behind enemy lines.

 

With no warning the door to her room slid open.

 

 _“Kriff!”_ Rey shouted, hand flying to her heart as she eyed Kylo standing in the entryway expectantly. “There is such a thing called knocking, you know?”

 

He looked her up and down, taking in her dishevelled appearance. “I told you I was coming.”

 

Rey sighed, not dignifying his statement with a reply as she tied the top half of her hair back with her worn out hairband. She approached him once she considered herself ready, and Kylo rotated to the right, leading her back into the labyrinth of the Finalizer.

 

She observed his back as he marched forward, noting the absence of his mask and heavy cape. It was somewhat comforting to know she wouldn’t be looking into his hollow transparisteel eye-covering while they trained. He had never been easy to read, but she much preferred his bare face to that distortion of metal.

 

Kylo somehow managed to look imposing in the open space of the hallway as Rey regarded him. The span of his shoulders complemented the tapering of his waist and she was somehow reminded of Han. She could imagine the embarrassing comments and light-hearted jealousy Han would have exuded as his son outgrew him.

 

Rey was mildly surprised when Kylo stopped in front of a pair of doors, assuming they would have to walk all morning to reach wherever he was taking her. With a flick of his wrist the shiny metal slid open, disappearing into the surrounding wall. Kylo gestured for Rey to continue ahead of him and she warily entered the large space.

 

The room was clearly a training hall… the floor was dominated by a red fifteen metre wide padded circle, and there were various wooden and metal weapons housed on stands that lined the outer wall. Rey’s blood thrummed just looking at the area, predicting that it would quickly become her sanctuary.

 

“This space is usually used by the Knights of Ren and myself,” Kylo told her in the still air. His posture was rigid as usual, hands locked behind his back. “But the Knights are on Coruscant presently, so it will be used for your training while on board.”

 

“And if they were here?” Rey asked distractedly, eyeing a cruelly decorated metal staff.

 

Kylo huffed through his nose and Rey spun to look at him, seeing the corner of his mouth turn up. “I hardly imagine you would get along.”

 

She had no desire to see what he was picturing in his mind but agreed with him nonetheless. There was no room for additional bloodthirsty darksiders in her life.

 

A movement in Rey’s periphery caught her attention and she turned to see Kylo walking towards the array of weapons, waiting a moment before following him.

 

“I think wood will suit our purpose for today,” he said, and Rey mournfully drew her hand away from the spiky staff.

 

Kylo picked up a ligneous broadsword, testing the weight with a few over-exaggerated swings. Rey let her fingertips trail along the sanded smooth variety, settling on a something that looked like it would have been a double-sided saber had it been not been crafted out of timber. She sorely wished she possessed the kyber crystal equivalent.

 

Watching Kylo step back onto the ruby-coloured mat, Rey wondered what he had in store for her. When he reached the centre he swivelled to face her, sweeping his leg backwards and positioning himself into a standard fighting stance. Rey inhaled deeply, trudging forward and mirroring his pose.

 

“Let’s begin with the basics,” Kylo said definitively. “I want to see what you know.”

 

Rey swallowed, suddenly embarrassed by her lack of training. She didn’t want to tell him that Luke had hardly spent time on any actual fighting techniques, instead emphasising the importance of meditation and channeling the Force. She had solely relied on adrenaline, luck, and some deeper - more instinctual - part of herself when she fought Kylo and his lackeys.

 

He regarded her for a beat, breathing in deep before lunging forward, bringing his sword towards her neck. Rey narrowly avoided the blow, ducking awkwardly and meeting his weapon with a parry. Easily redirecting her saber into the ground, Kylo continued his assault, catching her side with a harsh knock of his sword.

 

 _Ow,_ Rey thought as she stumbled to her right, hand covering her ribs in an attempt to soothe the ache.

 

“Again,” Kylo directed, withdrawing into the same starting position.

 

Rey bit back a retort, thinking it was easier to comply so they could get this over with. This time, Kylo swept his sword down into her shins. Burying the flash of pain, Rey rolled onto the ground and used her momentum to twirl her saber into his upper thigh. He was too quick, pointing his sword forward in a lancing motion, stopping just above her chest.

 

Rey grunted in frustration, throwing her head back onto the padding with a clenched jaw. Where was her _fight?_ Where was the Rey that defeated him in the forest on the Starkiller? The Rey that killed ten men…

 

Kylo offered her a gloved hand after withdrawing his timber sword, but she ignored it, climbing to her feet with as much dignity as she could muster. She stood before him as he towered over her, chin lifted in an attempt to disguise how _small_ she felt beneath his large figure.

 

His dark eyes burned into hers, brow furrowed slightly in confusion. “Did Skywalker teach you any of the forms?” he asked.

 

Swallowing the overwhelming sense of inadequacy, Rey shook her head, pushing back the uncharacteristic urge to cry. Kylo hummed low in his throat before turning from her, heading back towards one of the weapon stands. He placed his broadsword back onto the sturdy metal and Rey felt her shoulders slump.

 

She was a _failure…_ he had decided it wasn’t worthwhile to train her. Of course he would’ve come to his senses soon enough, she had known that. It was almost unbelievable that she had gotten this far already.

 

The wooden saber was suddenly wrenched out of her grip, violently breaking Rey from her self-hatred filled daze. She looked up in time to see Kylo smoothly catch the weapon in his outstretched palm, and place it next to his sword.

 

He moved towards to exit, only stopping when he saw she didn’t follow. “Rey,” he said, and she blinked slowly, unused to the sound of her name coming from him. “Follow me.”

 

Grinding her teeth in an attempt to quell the desire to disobey - to attempt to escape the heavy weight of his gaze - Rey moved, hating every step that brought her close to the scrutiny. _When did I start caring about his opinion?_ she thought miserably until considering that it wasn’t _completely_ unfounded. The need to prove herself, along with the need to survive, was something that had hummed steadily inside her ever since she had been abandoned in the sand.

 

Once she was close enough, Kylo swept out of the room, surprising her by heading in the opposite direction to her quarters. Rey had assumed he had given up on her, and was cutting training short to leave her to wallow under her bed covers. Apparently not. They walked in silence, passing through hallway after hallway.

 

Finally, Kylo came to a stop in front of a nondescript black door, punching a code into the panel beside it. The door slid open with the usual hiss, and he strode in without pause, prompting Rey to follow.

 

The room was tiny. Rey felt crowded as Kylo loomed over the desk that spanned the entirety of the furthest wall. After he pressed a sequence of buttons, the wall itself lit up, revealing a login screen. There was nothing else in the small space aside from a plush leather chair that was bolted to the floor in front of the worktable.

 

“What is this?” Rey asked, gesturing to the glorified broom-closet when Kylo paused his typing to turn and face her.

 

“It’s an archive station,” he told her simply, as though he thought she understood what he wanted her to do. She didn’t. When Rey stayed silent and offered him an emphatic shrug, he continued. “You said you haven’t been taught any of the combat forms… the texts in this system will tell you everything you need to know.”

 

Rey nodded slowly, heart starting to increase it’s pace as she considered the wealth of knowledge that was about to be at her fingertips. Kylo regarded her for a second longer before returning to the screen, logging in successfully. Fingers trembling by her side, Rey struggled to stand still, suddenly bashful at the prospect that he was so open to teaching her. _Of course he is,_ some contrite part of her thought, _he thinks you’re joining the dark side._

 

She stuffed down the strange guilt and watched as he deftly navigated the database. Pulling up a file called _Lightsaber Combat,_ Kylo gestured for her to sit down. Rey obliged, slightly unnerved by his proximity as he stood tall next to her. Not waiting for permission, she skimmed her fingers over the controls, quickly learning how to pilot the program.

 

“I believe this will provide a good overview of all seven forms,” Kylo said, watching her manipulate the screen. “I have other matters to attend to now,” he told her as he moved towards the doorway and Rey hummed in response, too enraptured by the words in front of her to really care. “I am curious to see which form captures your interest most, though.”

 

Rey turned at that, but all she saw was his retreating back, and the door sliding shut behind him. Pushing the vague feelings of claustrophobia to the back of her mind, she faced the screen again and chose a page to start on.

 

_Form I: Shii-Cho_

 

The oldest, most basic form of lightsaber combat… focussed on disarming the opponent without hurting them. _Hm,_ Rey thought as she read, _that doesn’t sound like me._ She remembered how she had relentlessly pursued Kylo in the forest on Starkiller... how he had scrambled away from her, face dominated by a burning orange gash. She had no qualms about harming her opponent. Next…

 

_Form II: Makashi_

 

Elegant… precise… careful and controlled strikes instead of power and strength… affiliated with the Jedi Order. _Ah, now that sounds a little more accurate,_ Rey mused. Her version was a lot more sloppy, of course, given her lack of training, but compared to Kylo’s unstoppable and unforgiving hacking, Rey’s fighting style was a lot more focussed. She wouldn’t mind steering her teaching towards Makashi if her instructor allowed it.

 

_Form III: Soresu_

 

Used to deflect against blaster bolts. Rey laughed wryly, the sound reverberating in the small room. That would have been useful on Vjun…

 

_Form IV: Ataru_

 

Acrobatic… high-speed… dangerous to attempt. _No,_ that wouldn’t suit Rey either. She was well aware of the key to surviving after a life in the scorching desert: keep it simple.      

 

_Form V: Shien/Djem So_

 

Shien focussed on deflecting blaster bolts back onto targets. No… that wasn’t worth her time. Djem So had the same principle but was instead centered around defending against blocks and parries from the opponent, then using that energy to segway into counterstrikes. Rey hummed in recognition. _Now that’s Kylo,_ she thought, remembering how relentless and _fluid_ his fighting style was. She could use that knowledge to tailor her approach when sparring with him.

 

_Form VI: Niman_

 

The combination of lightsaber combat and Force techniques… telekinesis… simple… a little boring. Rey supposed it may prove useful, but nothing about it excited her.

 

_Form VII: Juyo/Vaapad_

 

The most difficult of the forms both emotionally and physically. Rey’s interest was piqued as she read on. Channeling emotions into a fight… chaotic and unpredictable moves. Vaapad used the Jedi as a conduit, focussing the Sith’s negative feelings back at them. _Can bring it’s practitioners dangerously close to the dark side…_

 

Rey clasped the chair tightly with her left hand, knuckles white. Everything about the description of Form VII screamed at her to run away - to pick something else - but she was overwhelmed by the pull to study it in detail. The Force thrummed inside her, prickling in her fingers as she clicked on page after page. Rey was on the precipice of something truly treacherous… something too irresistible to ignore.

 

She finished reading the final page on the topic and leant back into the chair as she tried to absorb everything she had learnt. The call of the dark side was stronger than ever, and Rey struggled to stave off the undercurrents of temptation. She absently wondered if Kylo felt the same pull towards the light.

 

Well… she had completed her research. What now? Rey reached for the door with the Force, giving it a solid tug… it didn’t move. _Kriff,_ she thought, trying quell the bubbling panic. Feeling trapped, no matter the situation, was something Rey would _never_ react to well. She had spent too many years in the desert, desperate to leave... desperate to _stay._

 

Her heart rate quickened in response to the anxiety-inducing path her mind was traversing and Rey turned her attention to the screen, frantic for any kind of distraction. She easily navigated out of the _Lightsaber Combat_ file, and found herself on the main page of the database that was lined with a comprehensive alphabet.

 

Rey’s fingers moved with their own agenda, pointer hovering over the _V_ written in Basic. Without a second thought she clicked on it, scrolling through the impossibly large list of texts until she finally found a title containing that cursed name.

 

 _The Complete History of Vjun,_ it read.

 

Swallowing her uneasiness as unfiltered curiosity swept over her, Rey opened the file.

 

It took a moment to decide where to start; the table of contents was colossal, but she felt drawn to a chapter titled: _Viscount Malreaux._

 

There was a portrait of a family at the top of the chapter page. A brown-haired, impossibly poised woman stood next a similarly debonair man. In front of them sat two boys, clearly close in age. They weren’t smiling, but Rey recognised the glint in their eyes… _troublemakers._

 

Interest burned at the base of her brain, urging her to read on.

 

The man was the head of the family, the  _Viscount,_ which was an apparent title of nobility on Vjun. The mother’s name was Whirry, she claimed the title of _Viscountess._ The boy on the left was the eldest, Whie Malreaux he was called, and the youngest was named Wedel. Rey continued onto the paragraph of text, feelings of unease starting to unfurl in her stomach.

 

In 29 BBY the Viscount’s obsession with midi-chlorians reached its peak, leading him to begin experimenting. The populace of Vjun fell prey to the unfathomable nature of the organisms, quickly descending into madness and paranoia. They massacred each other.

 

 _That explains the screams,_ Rey thought, and the realisation sliced something deep in her gut.

 

 _Whirry Malreaux,_ _sinking into insanity amongst the chaos,_ the text read, _gave her son, Whie, to a passing Jedi, allowing him to escape the horrors of his home planet_.

 

Rey pushed back tears as she felt her heart split at the thought of familial ties breaking, exiting out of the chapter in a hurry. Her eyes scoured the list of contents for _anything_ that would make her forget what she had just discovered.

 

Another chapter title caught her attention. _Bast Castle,_ it was called. Rey clicked eagerly, terror forgotten in the face of potential answers.

 

Bast Castle had been inhabited by Count Dooku, confirming her suspicions that it was the very fortress she had entered on Vjun. Rey read through the brief history of his occupation not finding anything particularly noteworthy.  

 

 _Disappointing,_ she thought vaguely, eyes skipping to another line and widening when they landed on a familiar name

 

_The castle was later used by Darth Vader…_

 

Rey’s heart jackhammered beneath her breast-band as she stood, trembling at the prospect of occupying the same space as that tyrant.

 

_Kylo’s grandfather._

 

 _Did he know?_ she asked herself, panic clawing at her throat, _surely he did._

 

Rey forced herself to sit down, pushing her face into her palms. It was too coincidental… why did the Force seek to connect them further?

 

Looking up with reluctant resolve, Rey kept scrolling, eager to skip past any information about Vader’s time on Vjun.

 

 _Dark side… meditation… stormtroopers…_ the words faded into the background as she skimmed the large chunks of text. _Tionne… lightsaber -_ she stopped, suddenly struck by the realisation that this book would likely contain the knowledge of her saber’s previous owner.

 

Razor-sharp focus overcame her as she perused the paragraph. _Recovered by Vader, the lightsaber of..._

 

With a sudden hiss the door behind her slid open and she cried out, pure shock shooting prickling adrenaline throughout her body. As though her brain was one step ahead of her, Rey's arm darted out, fist slamming down on the screen’s power button.

 

Kylo was standing in the entryway when she rotated her chair back to him, expression guarded.

 

“I’ve finished my research,” Rey offered in the stiff quiet… hating how meek she sounded.

 

He seemed to relax infinitesimally, stepping into the small space. “And?”

 

Rey considered telling him about her discovery regarding Vjun for a moment, then shoved the notion away with ferocity. She wasn’t willing to share something that was so personal to him, even if he may have already known who owned that castle in times past. Hoping he wouldn’t question her about why she turned the screen off, Rey considered what she would say next while he looked at her, expecting.

 

Her eyes roamed his hulking figure distractedly, snagging on a small white plastoid container hanging from his left hand.

 

“What’s that?” she asked without preamble, pointedly staring at the receptacle so he would know what she was referring to.

 

Kylo lifted his arm, reaching forward so she could take it from him. “Breakfast,” he said simply.

 

Rey hand darted out, grasping the vessel tightly and pulling it towards her. She hadn’t realised how ravenous she was while browsing the database, possessing the ability to push hunger to the back of her mind after years of starvation. It had been hours since she had awoken, however, and her stomach turned in on itself at the prospect of food.

 

Setting the container on her lap and popping the clasps open, Rey momentarily forgot about Kylo’s presence, mind solely focussed on the bread and meat sticks lying within the canister. Her bites were too big as she shoved the bread roll in her mouth, but she couldn’t care less. The need to eat was nothing to be ashamed about.

 

When Rey felt a little more satiated her attention turned back to Kylo. He was watching her, looking almost bemused where he leaned against the nearby wall.

 

“I want to be trained in Form two,” she told him in between bites. “Makashi.”

 

It was a lie, of course, Form VII had unquestioningly captured the majority of her interest; Rey was just too reluctant to admit to Kylo how intensely she felt the call of the dark side.

 

“I can train you in Makashi,” he told her, almost disinterestedly, before slanting his torso towards her. “But…”

 

His dark eyes searched her face with calculated precision. Rey drew away slightly, unnerved by the sudden scrutiny.

 

“Makashi isn’t what you really want to learn, no…” Kylo trailed off before seemingly finding whatever he was searching for in her expression, leaning back with a near imperceptible smirk. “It’s Vaapad.”

 

Rey blanched, almost dropping her food. _How did he..?_

 

“You don’t need to lie to me, Rey,” Kylo said. He didn’t seem… mad. “You want to cling to the light, I understand, but the pretense will fade away soon enough.”

 

His gaze was alight with a muted sort of satisfaction, and Rey nodded helplessly.

 

“I will train you in both Makashi and Vaapad,” he stated with finality, casting a smothering quiet over the room.

 

Rey sat still, unsure what to make of Kylo’s concession, and unable to deny the undercurrent of excitement at the thought of learning more about Vaapad.

 

“You can finish that in your room,” he said, gesturing towards the forgotten plastoid container. “We’re done for today.”

 

Grateful for the chance to leave the tiny room, Rey stood, following Kylo as he crossed the threshold.

 

Watching his back as he led her through the maze, Rey struggled to swallow the darkness unfurling in her chest. The once impregnable hold she had on the light side was growing weaker by the second… all she could do was hope to hang on, no matter how far the thread stretched.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if you found that a little boring, I just needed to set a few things up... don't worry more Reylo interaction is coming soon :))
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, comments are _everything_ to me  <3


	5. You've Broke the Rule

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeeek! I am so so sorry that this is 2 days late... life was got a bit hectic in the past week
> 
> Also, if you want to see what I based Rey's outfit on this chapter, you can [click here](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*CdvUgGmkjMf3izzCig9GIQ.jpeg) or skip to the end notes where there will also be a link :) 
> 
> Enjoy my loves

 

The morning following her initial lackluster training and uncovering research, Kylo took Rey back to the hall. He started slower this time, giving her time to absorb his teachings before running through a variety of drills. Rey could admit she was taken aback by his unexpected patience, but refrained from mentioning it as she fell into a single-minded focus.

 

They sparred for the majority of the morning, and Rey was actually starting to hold her own against Kylo until his comms system beeped. He rotated away from her to read whatever it said, and a moment later she picked up the movement of his shoulders tensing beneath his black tunic.

 

“Training is over for today,” he said curtly, and with his back turned... Rey didn’t bother to hide her disappointment.

 

Feeling sullen and a little bratty, she strode past Kylo and placed her wooden saber back on the rack with more force than necessary.

 

He joined her after a moment, seeming not to notice her pout. “I have some texts I want you to read. I’ll have them sent to your datapad.”

 

“Fine,” Rey acquiesced, supposing it wasn’t the _worst_ way to spend her afternoon.

 

Kylo took her back to her quarters after that and she was pleased to find she was starting to remember some of the twists and turns. Soon enough, Rey hoped she might not need him to escort her throughout the Finalizer _everytime_ she went somewhere.

 

Her datapad dinged after her quick shower, notifying her of the arrival of two text files. One was titled _Form II,_ the other: _Form VII,_ and Rey changed into her sleepwear eagerly, her wet hair draping over the pillow as she settled in.  

 

Her eyes skimmed the pages until they burned with strain, and the next thing Rey knew she was rolling over, stretching her arms out languidly. As she reached outwards, her right hand made contact with something hard and cold, and a second later a loud clatter shook her from the tenuous grip of sleep.

 

“Damn it,” Rey mumbled groggily, sliding her torso from the bed to pick her datapad up off the floor. A glance at the chronometer on her nightstand told her it was early morning… meaning Kylo would probably be bothering her soon.

 

Rey was right. Only moments after she had awoken a harsh knock sounded, reverberating throughout her bedroom. Startled, she approached the door.

 

“Who is it?” she asked warily. Kylo hadn’t shown up without announcement as yet, and Rey feared it was someone a lot more... _unfamiliar._

 

“I was sent by Supreme Leader Ren, Ma’am,” came the reply, voice possessing a mechanical edge.

 

_A droid..._

 

Rey sighed before reaching up to enter the code that Kylo had comm’d to her earlier into the locking pad. The door slid open, revealing a glossy servant droid… black, _of course._

 

Taking her silence as assent, the collection of metal pushed past her and beelined towards the large dresser.

 

“What are you doing?” Rey asked tiredly as the door closed behind her, sick of the constant guessing games.

 

The droid picked up a long-sleeved charcoal tunic, inspecting it for a moment before folding it neatly back into place. “Supreme Leader Ren requested you wear something other than the clothes you arrived here in for today’s activities.”

 

“Today’s activities?” Rey parroted pointlessly. The droid ignored her, finally finding something suitable and laying it on her bed. Unease swirled in her gut. “What if I say no?”

 

“Then appropriate measures will be taken,” it replied.

 

Rey bit back a scoff. _I’d like to see you try,_ she thought haughtily, entertaining the idea of taking her frustration out on the unsympathetic robot. But, no… the droid was a merely a twig at the end of a branch that grew from the tree that was the First Order. She was here under the pretense of loyalty and cooperation. For now, she would oblige the Supreme Leader.

 

Once the robot had given her the go ahead to change, Rey snatched the clothes off of her bed and trudged into the ‘fresher. She pulled the outfit on, piece by piece, and with a shaky sigh she stood in front the mirror.

 

Clad entirely in jet-black, Rey was a vision of something _deeply_ fearsome. Dark bands wrapped around the majority of her arms, leaving only the top few inches bare. A high-collared sleeveless tunic and firm hide leggings made up the base of her attire, and were overlain by a lightweight cloth that draped over her shoulders and criss-crossed at her middle. A leather belt finished it off, cinching her waist.

 

 _Sith,_ her mind uttered traitorously and Rey spun away from the mirror, too unnerved to look at herself.

 

She tied the top half of her hair back as she re-entered her room, and the droid lurched into movement at her sudden presence. “I will inform Supreme Leader Ren that you are ready,” it said, giving her a very obvious once-over.

 

Rey gave the thing a lackluster thumbs up as she walked around the large bed to retrieve her datapad, figuring a little extra reading would distract her from her apprehension. The droid made its way to the door a short time later, forewarning Kylo’s arrival.

 

The door hissed open, revealing the Supreme Leader, and Rey placed her datapad beside her, moving to stand. He was wearing a cape over his usual black costume this time, and his helmet was hanging from his left hand.

 

Rey could see the almost imperceptible widening of his eyes as she approached him, drinking in her unusual garb. “Are you going to tell me what this is for?” she asked him, voice laced with ire as she swept a hand over her clothing emphatically.

 

Kylo shifted his gaze back to her face, his mouth a stiff line. “In due time.”

 

Casting a withering glare at his retreating back as he stepped into the hallway, Rey followed him, biting back the steadily growing dread for whatever he had in store. They walked a different route than the one to the training hall... this path took them to the outer corridors, and Rey found the view of the Galaxy a welcome distraction.  

 

Soon enough, Kylo was sweeping a pair of doors open with the Force, leading her into some sort of command centre. Rey’s eyes swept over the impressive number of monitors and controls, all manned by First Order personnel, until the unmistakable sound of someone clearing their throat brought her gaze to the centre of the room - landing on the sniggering General himself.

 

“Wow,” Hux remarked mockingly, hand pitching forward in a lazy gesture. “Look at _you!_  First Order recruitment may reach an all time high after today… so good to see you again, Jedi.”

 

 _“Pleasure,”_  Rey bit out, inwardly seething.

 

“No...” he replied, humming lowly as he approached her. “Jedi doesn’t really fit anymore, does it, Ren? I think I’ll start calling her _Sith.”_

 

Rey lurched forward, swinging a closed fist at his face while blood pounded in her ears. Before her hand could connect with the General’s self-satisfied smirk, however, a strong arm curled around her waist, yanking her backwards.

 

 _“Enough,”_ Kylo commanded once he had pulled her far enough to spare Hux from her violent clawing, tone brokering no argument. Rey settled reluctantly, and his arm slid away from her once she found her footing, the warm ghost of his touch lingering for a moment longer.  

 

Hux failed to tamper down his twisted mirth, lips pulled back in a smirk as rage thumped like a steady drum behind her heart. _Kill him,_ the darkest part of her mind whispered as Rey struggled to contain herself, _strike him down when you get the chance._  

 

“Need I remind you, General,” Kylo said reproachfully, his voice a welcome distraction from her wretched ruminations. “That we have too much to achieve today to waste time with petty squabbles.”

 

Rey suspected Hux would have rolled his eyes if he wasn’t so sure that he would end up on his knees as the Force contracted around his neck. “Yes, Supreme Leader,” he replied dutifully, his ill-will poorly concealed. “I have prepared a short speech for the girl’s denouncement.”

 

Cold shock lanced through her bloodstream, and Rey whipped her head around to face Kylo. “Denouncement…?” she asked weakly, eyes darting between the two men as her fingers trembled.

 

 _No, no, no, no…_ her mind chanted in a terrified crescendo. She wasn’t ready… she thought she would have more time to find a way out of it - to prepare for the ultimate betrayal.

 

“Kylo,” she implored, momentarily forgetting the promises she had made in the haze of panic as she looked up at him. “I-... I _can’t.”_

 

His brow furrowed, watching her with thinly-veiled perplexity and something... _else._

 

“You must...”  

 

 _Right,_ Rey thought grimly, swallowing her dread. _This is what you signed up for._  

 

Squaring her shoulders and breathing in deeply - steeling herself within - she turned back to Hux, who was watching their exchange with noticeable curiosity. “What do I have to do?”

 

The General pulled a miniature datapad from his coat pocket and held it out to Rey without a word. Not wanting to get any closer to him than necessary, she reached out with the Force, summoning it into her hand with ease. The screen was bright as Rey’s eyes flitted over the collection of sentences intended for her to announce to the Galaxy. Trepidation curled in her gut at the thought of having the pretend the words came from _her._

 

“There will be holo-prompters present,” Hux informed her, “so no need to memorise the speech.”

 

Rey nodded absently, focussing on steadying her frazzled nerves instead. “I’m ready,” she lied.

 

The men snapped into action at her admission; Kylo yanked the datapad from her numb fingers with the Force and Hux single-mindedly brushed past her to the exit. She scrambled to follow... at a disadvantage given their superior height and longer strides. Once she fell into line between them, Rey thought - without _total_ disgust - that the three of them would make quite the frightening image to a potential passerby, with their dark garb and purposeful march.

 

Eventually, they reached the hangar of the _Finalizer._ Rey was lead to the flank of a raised platform, and she could see the sheer mass of uniformed First Order personnel below the stage, prompting her heart to jackhammer behind her ribs.

 

Kylo slid his mask on beside her, standing straight and exuding nothing but pure, unadulterated power. He walked onto the platform, not uttering a single word to their audience as he took his place slightly to the left, still as a statue in front of the red and black decorative drapes. Rey could sense the awe thrumming through the crowd below - the _reverence._

 

Their Supreme Leader…

 

Hux followed and took centre stage, posture rigid as he began his obligatory speech, voice amplified by some sort of microphone. Rey watched with prickling curiosity, suddenly understanding the First Order’s tactics. Where Kylo was the silent leader, a figure intended to be idolised, Hux was the mouthpiece, vocalizing the notions of the armies and sympathisers. _Smart,_ Rey thought, absently wondering if the idea came from Kylo. If so, the apple may not have fallen so far from the tree... given his mother’s affinity for politics.

 

Rey looked up when Hux fell silent and saw his outstretched arm, gesturing for her to join him on the podium. Her pulse spiked, sick at the thought of talking in front of such a large crowd, and judging by the numerous holo-recorders - the entire _Galaxy._ She closed her eyes for a brief moment, pulling the Force into her core and letting the cooling sensation sooth her nerves.

 

With shaky breath, she moved forward and up, stopping in front of a sea of black and white plastoid. It only took a moment to find the nearest holo-prompter, and then she was speaking… when her voice rang out into the crowd, it didn’t waver.

 

“On this day, I, Rey of Jakku,” she began, “stand before the loyal subjects of the First Order, and ask for forgiveness for my crimes. I have seen the work of the Resistance for what it truly is... treachery, and last obstacle to be removed before order can be restored to the Galaxy.”

 

 _Stop!_ Rey’s mind screamed, clawing at the blanket of darkness that was smothering each thought. _Stop now before it’s too late!_

 

“With that,” she continued, helpless against the twisted pride she could sense from Kylo as he stood tall behind her.  “I readily cut my ties with the Resistance… and pledge my loyalty to the First Order.”

 

The crowd below her lifted their fists in a single, unified motion, and Rey failed to hear it as anything other than the final nail in her coffin.

 

* * *

  

The rest of the assembly passed by in a blur.

 

Rey stepped to the back after her speech, swallowing bile as she took her place beside the Supreme Leader. Hux quickly tied things up, and soon enough they were walking off stage, back into the quiet corridors of the _Finalizer._  

 

“Follow me,” Kylo said lowly, voice modulated by his mask, and Rey simply nodded, pliable in her dazed state.

 

Hux had disappeared - presumably to some sort of command centre to broadcast her statement to the Galaxy - and suddenly it was just the pair of them, navigating the maze.

 

“Are you happy?” Rey asked venomously as she came back to herself a little, struggling to keep up with Kylo’s long strides. “Are you happy you made me do that?”

 

He scoffed beside her, and reached up to remove his helmet. “I didn’t make you do anything,” he said, voice tinged with annoyance. “Besides, the Resistance was going to discover your change of heart soon enough. May as well make a show of it.”

 

“Didn’t think you were the type to make a show of things,” Rey muttered sullenly, feeling like a child under his vexed gaze.

 

Only moments later, Kylo stopped in front of a nondescript black door, sweeping it open with ease. Rey followed him inside, eyes widening when they landed on a large bed. She glanced around, taking in the space that looked eerily similar to her quarters. The only substantial difference was the presence of her deactivated saber, lying still on the nightstand, and an extra door.

 

“Is this your room?” Rey asked incredulously.

 

Kylo hummed in affirmation as he placed his cape on the bed, then moved to set his mask on a small pit of gravel seated on top of the dresser.

 

 _Why am I here?_ Rey asked herself, uncomfortably aware that he actually inhabited this space… that he _slept in that bed._ It was strange to think of Kylo acting like a human, and not the enigmatic monster he presented himself to be.    

 

“Can I have my lightsaber back?” Rey questioned, wanting to shift her thoughts from the absurdity of the situation.

 

Kylo turned to her, head somewhat tilted as he considered her request. His eyes were slightly narrowed, clearly a little skeptical, but his features were otherwise smooth, and Rey’s stare snagged on the handful of moles scattered around his face.

 

“I suppose…”

 

Without pause, she reached out with the Force and pulled the saber into her hand. A wave of relief washed over her as soon as it was in her grasp, and Rey marvelled at the sense of _connectedness_ she felt to an object that she had only possessed for a few days.

 

Kylo caught her attention again as he swept open the door to his left - the one that didn’t exist in her quarters - and Rey’s apprehension was forgotten as she followed him inside.

 

The room large, but almost bare, save for a ten foot wide circle that was slightly lower than the surrounding floor.

 

“What is this?” Rey asked in a whisper, strangely afraid to disturb the quiet of the space.

 

“This is my meditation chamber,” Kylo informed her, walking further into the room and descending into a cross-legged sit once he reached the sunken circle. For someone so large and long-limbed, Rey was surprised by how graceful the movement was. “I have one attached to my quarters in every ship and base.”

 

Rey moved forward, as though led by a shortening string, and mirrored his position on the floor.

 

“I’m sure Skywalker droned on and on about the importance of meditation,” Kylo presumed, shaking his head with obvious annoyance when she nodded. “Well… it was one of the handful of things he was right about.”

 

Rey cocked an eyebrow at the unexpected admission but said nothing, not wanting to break the rhythm of his story.

 

“Most people don’t associate darksiders with something as sanctimonious as _meditation,”_ Kylo continued, the corner of his mouth curled slightly upwards, as though the misconceptions the majority of the Galaxy had about the Force were a little _funny_ to him. “But I can assure you, nearly all Sith Lords had their own meditation chambers. You see, the Force doesn’t discriminate between the light and the dark, Rey, and both sides can harness it in the same way.”

 

As if it was listening to his words, the Force pricked at her fingertips, and travelled up her arms like a viscous fluid. Her eyes flickered to Kylo lips, entranced by the way they shaped her name.

 

“I want you to channel the Force with me,” he finished, folding his gloved hands in his lap. Rey mimicked his movement without thought.

 

“I…” she started, losing her nerve for a moment. “I wasn’t good at staying still for long when I meditated with Luke. You’ll have to guide me…”

 

Kylo simply nodded, closing his eyes purposefully, and Rey followed suit. Her other senses felt heightened as she stared at the back of her eyelids.

 

“Can you see the Force?” Kylo asked, his voice a low timbre.

 

Rey could feel her brows drawing together as she concentrated, her mind mapping out the Force as though she really could glimpse it swirling in the room. “It’s everywhere…” she said vaguely, “I can see shifting… it seems to be drawn to you.”

 

Kylo hummed, and Rey focussed on the space he would be occupying if she opened her eyes, unable to think of anything other than a black hole as she watched the Force accumulate at his centre.

 

“Reach out for it,” he suggested. “Take some for yourself.”

 

Rey complied, calling the Force towards her. With little effort, the collection of energy poured out of Kylo’s hold, stretching across to her like a rope. She could feel him pulling on the other side, and the Force was suddenly a taut string between them.

 

_“Perfect.”_

 

It came from Kylo, his voice laced with pride, and Rey shivered suddenly in the cold air.

 

“Now push it back,” he said, and she readily obeyed, her usual stubbornness strangely absent.

 

The Force swelled between them as they both fed it back into each other, the thin cord growing in circumference until it enveloped the pair. For a single, shining moment, everything was clear. Kylo’s mind was bared to her like a door sliding open, and Rey was woefully unprepared for the onslaught of his emotions.  

 

 _Pain. Self-hatred. Anger. Disappointment. Regret…_ she could see it - no, she could _feel_ it all.

 

Dimly, somewhere in the very back of her consciousness, she knew her mind was just as open, and that Kylo was experiencing everything she projected, but it didn’t register enough to stop her from peeling back the layers of his inner workings. _Guilt. Pride. Satisfaction. Something… something else…_

 

Like a metal gate slamming down, Rey was forced out of his mind, her eyes flying open with the shock of it.

 

 _Oh… oh, no,_ she thought, breathless with sudden panic. He had been privy to her thoughts, he could have seen…

 

“Did you know that would happen?” Rey asked weakly, trying to keep the accusation out of her voice.

 

Kylo was visibly shaken, leaning back on his arms as his chest heaved. “No, I…” he trailed off, reaching up to brush a tuft of sweaty hair out of his eyes. “I didn’t know, Rey, truly.”

 

She watched him warily, unsure if it was a lie… he did seem genuinely unsettled, and thankfully, not angry with her, which meant he likely hadn’t picked up on the lies she had spewed to make it off of Vjun with some remnant of control.

 

“I want to go back to my room, Ren,” Rey said, falsely confident.

 

Kylo nodded, composing himself as he stood.

 

The journey back to her quarters was overlain by smothering silence, and Rey realised - with a lance of dread - that she could still sense Kylo’s emotions. This time, it was mere echo of what she had witnessed earlier, but nonetheless, the ever-present darkness that emanated from him was a little more tangible than before. It didn’t stop when she had entered her room without him, or when she stripped out of her black uniform, or even when closed her eyes to sleep.

 

Rey knew with unwelcome familiarity - and a growing sense of horror - that their Force-bond had returned.

 

* * *

 

“Finn…”

 

It was Poe’s voice, oddly serious, that broke him out of his razor-sharp focus.

 

“What is it?” Finn asked, turning away from the makeshift punching bag and wiping the sheen of sweat off of his forehead.

 

Laying low on Mimban had been unfathomably boring - especially after Rey had left a few days prior - and the only thing that seemed productive was channelling most of his energy into training. He wanted to stand a chance against Kylo Ren, knowing it was almost inevitable that he would encounter that monster again.

 

“There’s something you have to see,” Poe said vaguely, and the undercurrent of nervousness he projected set Finn’s teeth on edge.

 

Wordlessly, Poe led him back to the privacy of the Falcon, where General Organa was waiting for him.

 

“Have a seat, Finn,” Leia said, her voice soft but no less commanding than if she had been shouting orders. She gestured to the crescent shaped couch in the main hold, and Finn made his way over to it, leaving enough space for the General and Poe to sit either side of him.

 

“What’s going on?” he asked agitatedly, whipping his head between the two of them. “You’re scaring me…”

 

Leia reached forward, laying a beat-up holochron on the small table in front of them. “One of our contacts sent this recording to us,” she explained. “It was broadcasted to every territory under the control of the First Order.”

 

Finn tensed as Leia’s hand moved to switch it on, not liking where this was going…

 

An image of Rey flickered to life before the three of them, and Finn sucked in a harsh breath. The resolution was terrible, but it was clear she was dressed in all black, and her severe expression was completely foreign to him. Maybe it wasn’t her…

 

No… she started speaking, and Finn could barely contain his horror as watched Rey - _his_ Rey - vilify her closest friends.

 

_With that, I readily cut my ties with the Resistance… and pledge my loyalty to the First Order._

 

Finn leapt to his feet and threw the holochron into the nearest plastoid wall, grunting when it failed to shatter and rolled onto the floor with an annoying thud.

 

“What has he done to her?!” Finn cried out, pushing past Poe to get more space as his blood boiled. “That fucking _monster…_ he must have her under some kind of spell. He must-”  

 

 _“Finn,”_ the General called, interrupting his ramblings with a fearsome tone. “Rey is too strong with the Force to fall victim to any mind-tricks. She is there willingly.”

 

“That’s a lie!” Finn exploded, prompting Poe to leap up and hold his hands out in a calming motion, attempting to diffuse the situation. “That’s a goddamn lie,” he said, lower this time.

 

“Please calm down, Finn,” Poe urged, stepping closer. “We need more information before we can decide anything, so please… just calm down.”

 

The main hold suddenly felt too small, and Finn struggled to control his breathing. “Decide _what?!”_ he asked incredulously, backing towards the exit. “How can you believe… even for a _second,_ that Rey would willingly turn to the dark side?”  

 

“We dont believe-”

 

Finn sped to the exit, having heard more than enough, and ran out of the cave, not stopping until he was a mile up the river, gasping for air.

 

His heart was aching - or _breaking,_ and he placed his hand over it pathetically as he sunk to his knees.

 

_… and pledge my loyalty to the First Order._

 

Rey’s voice swirled in his head, taunting him, as he gasped into the sludge riverbank. She couldn’t have turned to the dark side… Maker, she had been training with Luke to be a _Jedi._ What had happened when she left Mimban? She had told them the Force was calling her… had that been Kylo? Had he lured her into a trap?

 

“Finn!”

 

His name, someone was calling his name… Finn rotated his head, not moving from his knees, to see Poe jogging towards him.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked worriedly, coming to kneel beside Finn, placing a comforting hand on his back.

 

“No, I…” Finn trailed off, choking on a fresh wave of pain. “I don’t understand…”

 

Poe shushed him soothingly, gliding his hand back and forth over Finn’s spine. “I don’t understand either,” he admitted, sombre, “but we need to consider all possibilities. If Rey really has betrayed us… she may have given the First Order our location.”

 

Finn sat up at that, mind racing. “If we move now and she escapes… she won’t be able to find us again.”

 

“Finn-”

 

 _“Please,_ Poe,” he begged. “Please give her the benefit of the doubt. We can just make sure the ships are ready to flee if the First Order finds us… that way we’ll really know.”

 

Poe stared at him for a long moment, large brown eyes flitting over his face with intense scrutiny, before finally sighing. “Okay,” he acceded, reluctance obvious. “We’ll stay here for now.”

 

Finn reached over, pulling his dear friend into hug. “Thank you, Poe,” he said sincerely.

 

Letting out a nervous laugh, one that betrayed how uncomfortable he was with his decision, Poe let go of Finn, and clapped him on the back. “Now go talk to Rose,” he ordered lightly, smile not quite reaching his eyes. “She was pretty worried when she saw you sprint out of the Falcon like you were being chased by a rathtar.”

 

Finn barked out a laugh and stood up, heading back in the direction of the cave, expression morphing into something more serious as he walked away from Poe. He had prevailed for Rey this time, but if she had turned her back on the Resistance… he shivered, not wanting to think about the effect it would have on every downtrodden soldier living in that cavern.

 

 _Come back, Rey,_ he urged, projecting the thought out into the Galaxy. _Come back to us…_

 

The silence that answered was expected, but Finn’s shoulders still sagged, and his feet grew heavier with every step. All he could do was pray that the light side had not lost it’s last Jedi.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Rey's outfit](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*CdvUgGmkjMf3izzCig9GIQ.jpeg)
> 
> Okay I have to be totally honest with you guys, this Sunday I leave to go to Europe for 3 months so my update schedule will definitely not be once a week anymore... I will try my best to keep updating so please don't give up on this story!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, if you did please leave kudos or a comment! seeing that Inbox (1) makes my heart sing and my fingers click click click on the keyboard lol


	6. The Traitor is Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaah I’m so sorry it’s been so long! I’ve been gallavanting around Europe for the last month BUT have been trying very hard to write during my downtime/travel time. So this chapter is a reward for everyone’s patience... >:) 
> 
> Also 100+ kudos and 2000+ hits yaaaaay! thank you for all the support my loves 
> 
> Anyway enjoy!

 

 

For how _vehemently_ she despised him several weeks ago, it was disturbingly easy for Rey to fall into a routine with Kylo Ren.

  


She had been on the _Finalizer_ for two weeks now, and every morning her comms system would ding, forewarning Kylo’s arrival, then she would get changed - in all black now - and he would walk her to the training hall. Rey knew she could get there on her own, having memorised the route after a few trips, but she suspected Kylo was still hesitant to have her roam the ship on her own. After training, which she _excelled_ at, a droid would bring them breakfast, and they would eat together on the floor; ravenous and covered in sweat. He would then walk her to his quarters, where they meditated, and whatever power Rey was gaining from their sessions was hindered by the sheer effort it took to shield her thoughts from Kylo.

  


She could never feel him actively probing, but that meant next to nothing… a few days after they had begun their sessions she had unwittingly thought about how hungry she was following an oddly unsatisfying breakfast, and Kylo had told her off for not concentrating. Rey was able to mask her fear in the moment, but when she was back in her room she struggled with the knowledge that she could be projecting her thoughts without realising it, and resolved to tighten her mental defenses. Kylo must have also realised their Force-bond had returned, because she noticed that since their first meditation session - where his mind had been well and truly open to her - his shields were higher than ever, and she was privy to nothing more than an occasional echo of emotion from him. Not that that bothered her… she was happy to not have to witness his inner workings.

  


After they meditated, Kylo usually took her back to her quarters, where Rey found herself quite _bored._ She itched to be out of the confines of those shiny walls, and although she knew she could easily open that door, she _also_ knew that it probably wouldn’t sit well with Kylo if he thought she was snooping. No… Rey would just have to be patient. Soon enough he would trust her false intentions.

  


It was during her early morning contemplation that Rey realised that she hadn’t received a comm from Kylo yet. And that was… odd. She reached out, pushing her blanket down as she grabbed the datapad on the nightstand. Nothing…

  


Rey hummed aloud, the questioning sound reverberating off the black walls. It was approaching mid-morning, and by now they would usually be on their way to the training hall. Rey decided to get up anyway, thinking that if Kylo had been held up for whatever reason, he would likely be even grumpier if she further disrupted his plans. She dressed in a slightly more practical version of her denouncement outfit, and sat back on her bed.

  


Ten more minutes went by and there was still no sign of the Supreme Leader.

  


_Surely he have would told me if he wasn’t planning on training me today,_ Rey thought to herself, her heartbeat quickening slightly at the uncertainty.

  


She hated waiting.

  


Another five minutes passed, and Rey was on her feet, not giving herself a moment to consider that walking to Kylo’s quarters may not be the _best_ idea. It didn’t take long to navigating the halls of the _Finalizer,_ and soon enough she was standing in front of his door. Before she lost her resolve, Rey lifted up a shaky fist and knocked.

  


She could sense Kylo’s presence somewhere in the quarters, but he didn’t approach the durasteel plate, and Rey was suddenly overcome with unadulterated fury.

  


_Are you really going to ignore me, Ren? You fucking sculag!_ Rey thought sharply, projecting her ire deep into the room. She didn’t know the code to his door but it hardly mattered as the Force welled within her in response to her all-encompassing anger.

  


It only took one well-aimed Force-blast to push the door back into its slot and Rey was marching into the room.

  


“What the _hell,_ Kylo? I thought we were-”

  


_“Rey?”_

  


Stopping dead in her tracks, Rey turned, blood rushing to her cheeks as she spotted Kylo standing in the doorway, nothing but a black towel slung low on his hips.

  


Oh… _fuck._

  


He was clearly surprised to see her in his room, given his wide eyes and the white knuckles on the hand that was holding the ends of the towel together. Rey swallowed roughly, eyes frantically flitting across his figure as her brain short-circuited with shock.

  


_Look away!_ her mind screamed. _Just turn around and stop looking!_

  


She couldn’t seem to move, and her gaze snagged on the rivulets of water sliding down the hard ridges of his abdomen, throat traitorously dry. The sight of his naked chest wasn’t foreign to her, of course, but that was when… that was when he had been nothing but a _monster._

  


Now? He wasn’t that faceless beast who killed the closest thing she had to a father figure in 15 years, or the thing that had forced her friends into hiding. He was the person whose eyes glinted when she tended towards the dark side, and the one who corrected her when her form was wrong in training. Now, he was just… Kylo.

  


_Oh, Kriff._

  


“Rey.”

  


Her eyes dragged back up to his face, passing by the smooth planes of skin that stretched across his torso, and landed on his bewildered expression.

  


“I…”

  


She was at a loss for words, and so _annoyingly_ distracted by how casually he stood in front of her, looking so expectant while her mind raced.

  


Rey tried again. “You were late to pick me up for training, I thought…”

  


She trailed off as the furrow of Kylo’s brow deepened. “I lost track of time,” he explained, bemused.

  


Rey’s eyelids fluttered down for a brief moment, embarrassment spreading out from her chest. She shouldn’t have come here…

  


“I’ll go wait outside,” she said dejectedly, turning to leave. “I’m sorry.”

  


He let her go without a word, and Rey slid down the outside corridor wall miserably, lamenting the fact that she had made such a fool of herself.

  


When Kylo rounded through the entryway, she pulled herself together, knowing he wouldn’t indulge her self-pity. Side by side, they walked to the training hall together, and although the sight of his half-naked form was now burned into her brain, Rey decided to push the incident to the back of her mind.

  


“Vapaad today,” Kylo stated once they had approached the centre of the padded circle. Rey nodded, and took several steps backward, hand hovering over the lightsaber clipped to her hip.

  


As she had started to excel in training, Kylo let her ditch the mock weapons and now they practiced with their real sabers. He was a gruff and unforgiving teacher at times but she found herself grateful for it, because despite her short time aboard the _Finalizer,_ Rey felt stronger than ever. And sometimes, when she managed to get Kylo on the floor, and he would look up at her - dark eyes burning - she thought he might feel it too.

  


While she waited for him to give her the starting signal, Rey absentmindedly regarded him. Kylo was wearing less than he usually did during training today, only clad in leather pants and a black t-shirt that hugged his torso tightly, cutting into the solid flesh of his biceps.

  


A sharp twist of his wrist brought Rey’s attention back to the task at hand, and without thought she was running at him, plasma blade ignited. Kylo met her wide arc with his own saber, standing strong against her steady pressure. They were locked together by brilliant red and blue blades, pure energy sparking off the intersection and onto the floor. Not sensing a shift in power anytime soon, Rey feigned left, rolling around to swipe at his shins. Kylo narrowly avoided a nasty gash, and Rey used the second it took him to regain his balance to tap into his instinctual frustration, throwing it back at him relentlessly.

  


Unprepared for the onslaught of sharp anger, Kylo stumbled back further, and a well-aimed kick into his ribs had him on the ground. Rey didn’t hesitate, pressing her boot into his abdomen and holding her saber just above his chest.

  


“Very good,” Kylo awarded, a trace of reluctance in his voice as he breathed harshly beneath her. Rey smiled at the praise, eyes catching on the sweat beading along his forehead. “Although you may want to refrain from using feelings of frustration against your opponent. Increased anger may make them stronger… you should try to find something deeper.”

  


Rey rolled her eyes, standing back to let Kylo stand. “Oh, okay,” she bit out. “When I’m fighting the hordes I’ll just put my hand up and say, ‘can you please stop shooting at me for a moment? I just need some time to riffle through your brain and find your ultimate weakness.’”

  


“You don’t need that much time,” Kylo said plainly, ignoring her sarcasm. “You should... here, I’ll just show you.”

  


“Show me..?” Rey asked absently, watching him move into position before it clicked. _“Wait!”_ she cried out, choking on the word, but it was too late… the deep concentration that flitted over Kylo’s face as he barrelled towards her made her blood run cold.

  


Rey’s saber came up instinctively when he reached her, but it was no match for his momentum, and she was staggering backwards, trying not to trip as he swung his first blow. It only took a second before Kylo was on her again, and without any hope of warning, Rey’s eyes glazed over as he slammed her with a vision of her deepest insecurities.

  


She saw nothing but sand for a moment… then there was Plutt, and his grotesque hand squeezing her arm. _“No!”_ she cried, expressing grief in the only way a child could as the silver ship disappeared into nothing. Then, again, there was just sand, and Rey was an adult this time… alone… abandoned… unlovable.

  


Her legs gave out as she snapped out of her haze, and Kylo must not have expected it because he was falling too, until they were both just a collection of tangled limbs on the padded floor.

  


“Do you understand now?” he asked her, chest heaving, and Rey’s cheeks heated as she realised just _how_ close he was.

  


Both of Kylo’s legs were heavy on top of her left one, the side of his hip laying over hers, and his right forearm sat flush with the floor, propping his torso up just above hers. With the faintest shiver, Rey realised she could see the green webbing in his irises.

  


He was waiting for an answer, though, and Rey pushed past the sudden dryness in her throat , latching onto the anger she felt at being made to feel that fresh wave of pain all over again. _“Fuck you,”_ she spat, channeling every single morsel of venom she could at him while she forced back the trauma.

  


Kylo simply smirked, unfazed by Rey’s fury. “Not sounding so much like a Jedi, are you now?” he taunted.

  


Choking back urge to Force-blast him off of her - knowing it would prove his point - Rey closed her eyes in a misguided attempt to bring _some_ sort of serenity into her mind. Her senses were heightened for the briefest moment, and she felt… warmth.

  


_Hang on a minute,_ Rey thought to herself, frowning. _Had that been there before?_ Heat was pouring into her right side, it was…

  


_Oh._ Rey’s eyes flew open at her panicked realisation, meeting Kylo’s as his smug smile faded. It was his _hand._

  


She didn’t chance a look, but Rey could feel the impossibly long digits spanning across her right rib cage, and her stomach flipped violently. He was so… warm, fingers _burning_ through the thin cotton of her shirt.

  


Swallowing roughly, Rey watched as Kylo’s dark eyes shifted back and forth between hers, occasionally flickering down to her lips, and her mouth was suddenly devoid of moisture. Of its own accord, her tongue slipped out, catching on the dry skin of her bottom lip and dragging it in. Kylo’s gaze focussed on the movement, and an obscenely low noise sounded from his throat, the hum jolting something deep within her. Tingles shot through Rey’s legs unforgivingly, and she shivered at the sensation. Kylo’s mouth parted slightly in response, and she felt as he swiped his thumb along her side _just so…_

  


Rey’s hands shot out, landing on his chest and… staying there.

  


_Push!_ her mind urged, traitorously focussing on the hard muscle she could feel under her stubborn fingertips. _You’re supposed to be pushing him off!_  

  


Maker, his eyes were so dark… and the way they burned into hers, searching - his shields were strangely absent and she could feel him searching for… something she couldn’t place. Rey’s heart jack-hammered behind her lungs, suddenly overwhelmed by the intensity of his presence. He was close enough to…

  


“I feel sick!” Rey blurted, panicked.

  


Kylo’s eyebrows drew together, and he pushed himself off of her... whatever spell that had fallen over him clearly broken. Tamping down an odd sense of disappointment, Rey sat up as well, gaining some much needed distance.

  


“You-” Kylo cut himself off, clearing his throat to rid the hoarseness of his voice. “You feel sick?”

  


Rey nodded, willing herself not to avert her eyes. She supposed it wasn’t a _total_ lie - anxiety was running rampant through her system, and it certainly wasn’t a _pleasant_ feeling.

  


“Okay,” he said slowly, lifting a hand to run it through his hair, and Rey inwardly cursed when her eyes caught the way his t-shirt strained against the stretch of his bicep. “Do you think you can meditate?”

  


_Meditate?_ In other words, sit in a room with a man who would be able to read every traitorous thought she had just had about him..? Not likely.

  


Rey shook her head emphatically to answer his question. “I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

  


Kylo grimaced slightly. “I’ll walk you back to your room,” he said, moving to stand.

  


“No need!” Rey cried out, scrambling up in her panic. The thought of any more time spent in close proximity to him was too much for her overworked heart to handle. “I can go by myself.”

  


Kylo opened his mouth to say something else, but Rey didn’t stick around to hear it, practically tripping over herself as she raced out of the training hall.

  


Her pulse calmed slightly when she reached the quiet halls of the _Finalizer,_ but the phantom heat from his touch on her side didn’t let her relax entirely.

  


Kriff. She had fought _Kylo Ren_ the first time she had used a lightsaber, she had chased Luke across the Galaxy, she had even faced _Supreme Leader Snoke,_ but when Kylo looked at her like _that..?_ She had quite literally run away. Rey sighed, her shoulders slumping as she returned to her quarters.

  


… _you fucking coward._

 

 

* * *

 

The daily training, reading, and mental effort over the past two weeks must have taken its toll, because Rey fell asleep almost instantly.

  


It was a fitful sleep, full of alternating dreams and restlessness. Her first dream unsursprisingly took place on Vjun… which still gave her the creeps  despite how often she saw it. Her second dream consisted of an endless desert, and two figures in the distance that she tried to follow… but no matter how fast she ran, she never caught up.

  


Rey’s third dream, however, was a new one. She was in some sort of kitchen, calmly cutting up vegetables. There was music emanating from one of the corners of the room, and the soft melody washed an unfamiliar calm over her. She wasn’t sure where she was, but the view of a lush green forest from the nearest window ruled out Jakku.

  


The total serenity that was easing through her bloodstream was totally foreign to Rey, but she fell into it without effort, and it soon felt like she had been experiencing such happiness her whole life.

  


A pair of large hands settled on her shoulders, but it didn’t scare her. All she could do was hum in contentment as they squeezed the sides of her neck, then travelled downwards, skimming over her ribs and settling on her waist. Rey leaned back into the warm mass behind her somehow knowing that whoever the man was, she trusted him completely.

  


His left hand lifted up, pulling her hair back to expose the right side of her neck, and then there were soft, wet lips mouthing a path from her collarbone to a spot just behind her ear. Heat curled in Rey’s stomach and she put down the knife she was holding, trying to find purchase on the countertop.

  


The other hand gripped her waist before drifting skyward and landing on her breast. His calloused palm caught her nipple _just so_ as he gripped the mound of flesh, and Rey’s eyes fluttered closed at the sensation. After a few moments of practiced groping, his hand made its way down, skimming over the flat of her stomach and settling on the apex of her thighs.

  


Rey’s eyes flew open, gaze landing on the large digits that were slowly rubbing over her most sensitive area. The pressure of his fingers increased and she felt weak as heady pleasure pooled in her stomach, knuckles white where she supported herself against the bench.

  


_“Sweetheart.”_

  


The voice was husky, and _low,_ so low that it rumbled through his chest and into Rey’s back.

  


“Don’t hold back,” he said, slipping his fingers underneath the band of her leggings and into her underwear. Rey slumped forward, something like a moan catching in her throat as his index finger brushed over her slit, catching on the bundle of nerves at the top. Trying to give him a better angle, she bent at the middle, leaning her ass back and - _oh_ \- she could feel a hot, hard length pressing against her rear, showing her she wasn’t alone in her desperation.

  


He let out a deep hum at the contact and the sound sliced through Rey, heat rushing south. His other hand left her neck and roamed over her figure, pinching and _squeezing_ the soft flesh. The tip of his finger skirted her entrance, collecting some of the fast-accumaluting moisture and bringing it back up to circle at her clit. Rey moaned in ernest this time, unable to stop herself from pressing against the outline of his cock as pleasure shot through her core.

  


“So wet for me,” he rasped, pushing his erection into the curve of her ass and slipping the first knuckle of his finger inside her.

  


Wanting more of him, Rey lifted her arm, looping it around his neck to pull his head down. There was a flash of black in her periphery, then he sunk the rest of his long digit into her, and her mind went blank.

  


Distantly, Rey could hear herself gasping and moaning as he pumped into her wet heat, when he added a second finger she realised her hand was contracted around his wrist, but she wasn’t sure when she had put it there. The heel of his palm slid perfectly against her clit each time he thrusted, and lost in the perfection of his rythym, she pulled on the hairs at the nape of his neck, revelling in his groan and the stutter of his hips against her rear.

  


Familiar pressure was building low in her stomach, and Rey was boneless against him as she fast approached that evasive high.

  


“Sweetheart,” he slurred again, turning his head to suck on the sweet spot just behind her jaw.

  


_“Please,”_ Rey choked, powerless as he increased his tempo inside her and pleasure curled like a tight coil in her core. She was so _close…_

  


“Tell me what you need.”

  


“I ne-” the words died in her throat as he curled his fingers _just so,_ pulling a out high-pitched whine she didn’t think she was capable of making. Rey attempted to compose herself, swallowing roughly and trying again. “I need you to keep going.”

  


There was a hum of assent, and then his impossibly long fingers were slipping out of her, dragging upwards to circle at her clit with breakneck speed. Rey cried out and fell against the countertop, knees buckling under her as every nerve ending was set alight.

  


“Come for me, Rey,” he urged, and all she could do was support herself as he assaulted her body from every angle. She was...

  


_She was-_

  


… waking up?

  


_No, no, no, no, no!_ Rey’s mind screamed as the kitchen scene began to fade. Her eyes blinked open, landing on the durasteel ceiling.

  


“Fuck!” she yelled, thumping her hand against her bed with palpable frustration. Her cunt was _throbbing._

  


Rey wasn’t a stranger to touching herself - scavenging day after day on Jakku called for something to distract her from the misery of her existence - but it was rarely easy to climax. Her mind could never… focus.

  


And she most definitely had _never_ had a dream bring her so close.

  


Without thinking, Rey’s hand drifted downwards, slipping underneath her loose leggings and finding her soaking entrance. She sighed, her other hand making its way to her breast and rolling the small pebble at its peak under her palm.

  


Imagining it was her dream man’s hands instead of her own, Rey gathered some of the moisture and brought it to her clit. As her fingers began to circle around the already sensitive bundle of nerves, heat lanced through her stomach, reminding her of how close she had come to completion only moments ago. Rey picked up her pace, slim digits rotating until her walls began to contract around nothing, pleasure rising and rising as every bit of liquid heat rushed south.

  


Images from her dream flashed behind her eyelids - a strong hand gripping her waist, two long fingers knuckles deep in her cunt - and Rey was hurtled over the edge, seeing stars as a litany of moans tumbled from her mouth. With her head thrown back against her pillow, Rey rode the high until her clit couldn’t take any more.

  


Placing her arms behind her head as her chest heaved from the exertion, Rey marvelled at how unusually easy it had been for her to orgasm. She  had never had anybody touch her down _there_ in real life, of course, nor did she know a lot about that kind of intimacy. There were occasionally lewd comments floating around the marketplace about the poor and desperate prostitutes on Jakku, and she had overheard hushed conversations between the prettier women of Niima Outpost about their latest romances, but no one had explicitly taught Rey about sex. She had a vague idea of kind of touching her dream contained, but it still shocked her how naturally she seemed to fall into it - to rub against the evidence of her partner’s arousal. And the man was-

  


_Wait,_ Rey thought, mind latching onto the sense that something was deeply, deeply wrong.

  


The man…

  


_Oh… fuck._

  


Rey shuddered with horror as she connected the dots. The low voice… the big hands… the black hair in her periphery…

  


_“No,”_ she said aloud, covering her face with her hands. “Not him.”

  


Her stomach, which had felt impossibly warm only moments ago, sank as though it had been filled with ice. Harsh reality set in, and disgust laced every thought. She had come so quickly…

  


The man in her dream, the one that had set every nerve-ending alight, the one that had played her body like a master musician until she had begged him to _keep going…_ he wasn’t a faceless nobody. As shame filled every crevice of her mind, Rey knew that the man she had dreamt of - whom she was now _doubtlessly_ attracted to - was Kylo Ren.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn 4k worth of Reylo content... don’t say I don’t do anything for you hahaha 
> 
> But really I hope you liked it! 
> 
> Kudos and comments make me a happy happy girl


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